VISIT FROM AN EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
Text: John 3:17 (KJV), "For God sent not his Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
Introduction: Search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. What pictures
come to our imaginations when we hear that sentence!
One superman committed suicide, another suffered
spinal injury. ET has called home. The force was not with
Darth Vader. Earth won the War of the Worlds.
Societies have been bombarded for decades with Sci-Fi.
Science fiction is just that, but we seem enamored with it.
Perhaps Satan has flooded God's greatest creation, the
human race, with an over-abundance of so called "super-
heroes" to distract attention from the true God-Man sent
to Earth from Heaven.
Theme: Our text is our theme--For God sent not his Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
I. The Day Jesus Came To Earth
Genesis 18:2, " And he [Abraham] lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by
him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself
toward the ground," It is possible that one of the "men" was a pre-incarnate appearance
of Jesus the Christ.
Similarly, Genesis 32:24, "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him
until the breaking of the day."
Jesus was born in human form on planet Earth as had been predicted in the Old
Testament by God's Holy Prophets Genesis 3:15; Micah 5:1-2; Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 9:5-7;
Numbers 24:17-19; and many other Scripture locations.
Galatians 4:4, "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law,"
At Jesus birth the wind began to blow in another direction.
Matthew 2:3-4 says that King Herod became troubled and conferred with the
the chief priests and scribes.
Balaam's "Star out of Jacob" was seen in the East (Numbers 24:17).
Some Wise Men asked, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we
have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him (Matthew 2:2)."
Luke 2:8-9, "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore
afraid."
Luke 2:10, "And the angel said unto them [the fearful shepherds], Fear not: for,
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,..."
About this time a tattletale demon chimed in, "Boss, Bruiser has arrived!"
Genesis 14-15, "And the Lord God said unto the serpent,...I will put enmity
between thee and the woman [Eve], and between thy seed and her seed;
it shall bruise [crush] thy head, and thou shalt bruise [crush] his heel."
Romans 16:20, "And the God of peace shall bruise [crush] Satan under
your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."
Colossians 2:13-15, "13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircum-
cision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven
you all trespasses;14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was
against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to
his cross;15 And having spoiled [disarmed] principalities and powers, he
made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."
II. The Day Jesus Came to Town
At Cana, Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1-12).
At Capernaum, Jesus told the man that his son would live (John 4:46-54).
In Capernaum, Jesus healed a man who was possessed by a demon (Luke 4:33-37).
in Bethsaida, a blind man is healed by Jesus (Mark 8:22-26).
And the list goes on.
When Jesus comes to town, a greater than Jonah is present.
When Jesus comes to town, a greater than Solomon is with us.
When Jesus comes to town, a greater than Luke Skywalker is most
assuredly here. He is Jesus the water walker.
Kingdom work excels when Jesus comes to town: the lame walk, the mute talk,
the blind see and the deaf hear. Also, the demon possessed are set free and the
physical and spiritual dead come alive.
Jesus came to town and said in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because
he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-
hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set
at liberty them that are bruised [overwhelmed, crushed],..."
III. The Day Jesus Came To Men
Nicodemus, a master in Israel, learned about being born again.
Some fishermen were made to become "fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).
The malefactor on the cross was given a promise.
God and men were reconciled!
Long ago and far away, a plan had been formulated for our salvation. The plan would
culminate, not in R-2-D-2, not in one who could leap tall buildings in a single bound, but
in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Ephesians 1:4-5, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will,..."
IV. The Day Jesus Came to Hell
Isaiah said that hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure:
and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall
descended into it (Isaiah 5:14). Here we read that the ones who promote iniquities
and also rejoice in them shall go down into hell.
Now, please consider Ephesians 4:9, " (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he
[Christ] also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" Some Bible scholars
believe that the phrase descended to the lower, earthly regions may mean that between
Jesus' death and ascension He descended into Hades, the realm of the dead, to
proclaim His victory.
V. The Day We Allow Jesus to Come to Us
It is we who come to Jesus, but for the continuity of this presentation let us
allow Jesus to come to us. If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us
(James 4:8).
We can be--
regenerated
adopted into the family of God
sanctified from the world and set apart to the Lord
filled with God's Holy Spirit
glorified, Colossians 3:4 (KJV), "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall
ye also appear with him in glory." There is a glorious hope in the world to come.
On the day mentioned in the above verse, all believers will share in the glorification
of Jesus.
Note: For an excellent treatment of the subject of the believers' glorification, please see
French Arrington's superb work, Christian Doctrine a Pentecostal Perspective. Vol. II,
pp. 249-251. Pathway Press.
Conclusion: Indeed, there has been a visitor from a far away place called Heaven. The
visit has been recorded for thousands of years in God's love letter to mankind--The
Holy Bible. That recorded is much easier to believe and accept that men's meager
attempts to produce science-fiction characters that can seemingly solve mankind's
problems. The Christ from Heaven is our superlative.
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