Sunday Morning, November 28th, 2004
Let us Pray
Welcome........
I want to thank everyone who came out to our Thanks-giving Service last Thursday, and we did have a wonderful time giving thanks to God.............
Thanks to Sister Barbara Johnson for standing in the gap, for our speakers who shared with us, and for everyone who particpated........
I do trust you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as you fellowshipped with your family and friends.
Last Sunday we said that The Lord is good to all, and that everyday should be a day of thanksgiving. I challenged everyone last Sunday that if you were a complainer to stop complaining for one day, and start praising the Lord. I wonder how many of you spent sometime last week praising the Lord. The devil does not want us to praise the Lord, but the Word of God
says in Psalm 107 verse 8, Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men...........
Today is the first Sunday of the Advent Season. One of the biggest shopping days of the year was last Friday the day after Thanksgiving, and it is quite
possible many of you were out on Friday morning trying to find a bargain, and I trust you did. Let’s not get too caught up in this Christmas shopping
spree, and remember whose birthday that we are celebrating.
Have you ever tried to stop and think what life would be like if you had not done what you did? Would it be better or would it be worse? Let’s try and play for awile the what if game.What if you had not been saved at the time you did, where would you be now?
What if you had completed college, or did not drop out of high school?
What if you had not said that angry word to your boss in that great job you had?
What if you had invested more wisely, and did not waste that little money you had?
What if you had not marry that husband you now have, but had married someone else?
What if you had not marry the girl of your dreams?
What if you had not used up your credit cards to the maximum?
What if you were not born in Chicago or moved to Chicago?
What if you could take back that harsh word you had said?
What if; What if? There are things we will never know the answer to, but we just have to day dream, and move on with our lives. Whenever the Children of Israel hit a rough spot on their journey from Egypt, they would complain of how good life was in Egypt, but that was not the truth, and sometimes we do the same; when we hit a rough spot in our lives we try to
play the what if game.
As we enter the Advent season, let’s remind ourselves once again of our theme for the year, which is, glorifying God; which means that everything
we do, everything we say should be done to glorify God. Sometimes I might say things in haste, and you might say things in haste which did not glorify
God, but let’s all endeavor to glorify God........
On Thanksgiving Day, I was talking to a Christian lady who had gone through a lot of difficult moments in her life, but she had learned the art of
thanking God through her difficulty. She was not aware that others were watching her, and they were coming to her for advice, and some accepted
the Lord because of the life she was living. As a child of God, as one who have been set free, as one who has been born again, don’t forget, somebody
is watching you.
Please turn with me to page 5 of your bulletins or in your bibles to St. John 1 verses 1 through 3, and verse 14. Let’s all stand and read tgether. Please
tell someone, yes, Jesus loves you.
Our sub-ject for today is, The Eternal Word. Number One: The Word was in the beginning. Number Two: The Word was made flesh, and Number Three: The Word dwelt among man. The word eternal means, without beginning or end; existing outside of time; unaffected by time.
The bible says in the beginning was the Word. When we say Word, that is capital WORD, what do we mean? The Jews saw a word as some-thing more than a mere sound. To them a word was some-thing active and existing. To them it was power; it possessed the power to express some-thing, to do some-thing.
The Gentiles or the Greeks saw the Word some-what differently. When the Gentiles looked at the world of nature, they saw that things were not chaotic, but or-der-ly. Every-thing God had made had its place and moved or grew in an orderly fashion. The Gentiles came to realize that behind the world was a mind, a reason, a power that made and kept things in their proper place. This creative and sustaining mind, this su-preme reason, this unlimited power was said to be the Word.
The Word was also seen as the power that enabled men to think and reason.The Word was the power that brought light and understanding to man’s mind and enabled him to express his thoughts in an orderly fashion. The Word was the power by which men came in contact with God, and expressed their feelings to God.
The apostle John grabbed hold of this common idea of the Jews and Gentiles, and proclaimed that Jesus Christ was the Word. John saw that a word is the expression of an idea, a thought, an image in the mind of a person. He saw that a word describes what is in the mind of a person; and so he proclaims that in the life of Je-sus Chrisrt, God was speaking to the
world, speaking and de-mon-strating just what he wanted to say to man.God has given to us much more than mere words in the Holy Scriptures, but
he has given us Je-sus Christ, The Word. The Word, capital WORD was the picture, the expression, the pattern, the very image of what God wished to
say to man. Please note very carefully, Je-sus; God’s only son, was the Word of God, who came to earth to live out the written Word of God.
Let’s look at verses 1 through 3 of our text. In the beginning was the Word.When we say, in the eginning, it does not mean from the beginning. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God was already there; he did not become; he was not created, and strange as it might seem to some, he never had a beginning. Jesus Christ, the Word, was in the beginning before the
world was created.
John says three things about the Word, that is to say, he says three things about Jesus. Number One: The world was already there at the very beginning of things. In Genesis 1 verse 1 we read, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. John is saying that the Word; Jesus Christ, is not one of the created things, because the Word was there before
creation. It is said that, the Word is not part of the world which came into being in time; the Word is part of eternity and was there with God before time and before the world began.
Number Two: John says the Word was with God. When John says the Word was with God he means that always there has been the closest and the most intimate connection between the Word and God. There is no
one who can tell us what God is like, what God’s will is for us, what God’s love and heart and mind are like, as Jesus can. I remember when I was in
Jamaica, I was telling a young man about the Lord, and he said, I would have to be around where you live to know really who you are. What he was saying, I can say anything out side, but the real me will show up where I live. People can say a lot of good things about you or about me based on what they see, but only the one who is close to that persson knows what is going on. John is saying that Jesus is intimate with God that God has no secrets from Jesus; and that therefore, Jesus is the one person in all the
universe who can reveal to us what God is like, and how God feels towards us.
Number Three: When John said that the Word was God, he was saying that Jesus is God, and he is perfectly the same as God in mind, and in heart. John is laying it down that in Jesus and in Jesus alone, there is perfectly revealed to men all that God always was and always will be, and all that God feels towards and desires for men. Thank God he is the same yesterday, today and forever, he never changes.
The Eternal Word made all things, every detail of creation, everything whether material or spiritual came into being because of Jesus Christ. Paul
writes in Colossians 1 verse 16, For by him (talking about Jesus Christ)were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities,or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
This Eternal Word which had no beginning, and no end, in verse 14 of our text became a person, became flesh, and took up his abode in our being, full
of grace and truth; and we looked with our own eyes upon his glory; glory like the glory which an only son receives from a father. Can you imagine?
God’s son became flesh. What does it means by flesh, and why did Jesus Christ became flesh? The word flesh is the same word that Paul used to describe man’s nature with all it’s weakness and tendency to sin. Jesus Christ is fully God; yet Je-sus Christ became fully man. This flesh is corruptible; this flesh is tainted; this flesh is dis-hon-o-ra-ble; this flesh is weak; this flesh sins; it ages, and eventually dies and decay. Christ the Word; God’s only Son became flesh in order to correct the corruption of the flesh.
It is said that, "It all happened in a moment; a most remarkable moment...that was like none other. For through that segment of time a spectacular thing occurred, God became a man. While the creatures of earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb." Think for awhile, God was given a
heart; hands; eyes; kidneys. eyebrows, elbows. At this first Advent there was no party planned for the king of kings, if it were not for the shepherds
there would have been no reception; And were it not for a group of stargazers we call the wise men there would have been no gifts.
Because we could not help ourselves; because we could not save ourselves; Je-sus Christ the Word had to come in the flesh and dwelt with man, he lived on earth with man. Christ was the Shekinah glory of God. God’s glory was seen through his son, Jesus Christ. Shekinah is spelt, S H E K IN A H, and it means that which dwells or dwelling. It refers to the bright
cloud that God used to guide Israel out of Egypt and that rested upon the tabernacle and above the mercy seat in the Most Holy Place. You can read this in Ex-o-dus 40 verses 34 through 38. The cloud symbolized God’s presence, and that is just what John was saying, "We beheld," actually saw the Shekinah glory, God’s presence "dwelling among us."
Peter, James and John saw the glory of God there on the mountain. Let’s turn to Luke 9 verses 29 throughh 32 (read) Christ was the very embodiment of God, all that God is and does. The word embody means, "to include as an essential part; to include in a larger whole; to be the concrete expression of." John said, "we beheld," looked at Him, and could tell He
was God. The glory of all that God was stood right before them, right in their very presence. They beheld Him with their very own eyes, Jesus Christ; the Word, God Incarnate...........elaborate...
We beheld the glory of the Eternal Word full of grace and truth. When we look at grace we think of the quality of a thing that is beautiful or joyful;
the fragrance of a flower, the rich green of the grass, the beauty of a lovely person. To man, grace is anything that has loveliness; it might be a favor
extended to a friend and is freely done. When the early Christians looked at grace, and what God had done for them they had to add a deeper and a much
richer meaning to the word grace. God had saved sinners who had acted against him. As a result of this, grace became the favor of God showered
upon men, men who did not deserve his favor. Grace became his kindness and love that dwells within the very nature of God, the kindness and love that God freely gives to his enemies. When we acted ugly, and we should not; when we say things that we should not say; when we do things that we should not, if it was not for the grace of God, where would we be? Thank
God, God’s grace is not like man’s grace.When man does favor for his friends, he is said to be gracious, but God has done something unheard of
among men; he has given his very own son to die for his enemies. Listen towhat Romans 5 verse 8 says, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Saints and friends that is grace, we did not deserve it, but God gave it to us.
On this first Sunday of Advent; this season of celebration of the birth of our Lord; Jesus wants to be a part of your life. He was in the beginning,
before time as we know it began; the Eternal Word; He became flesh, and he dwelt among man. As he dwelt among man, lives were changed; blind receive their sight; deaf were able to hear; dead were brought back to life;and this same Je-sus is here right now. He is still changing lives; he is just the same today.......elaborate.....
"If people want to know what God is like they can look at Je-sus." Listen to this, if people want to know what Je-sus is like they should be able
to look at you and at me. As you travel over the busy streets of Chicago, as you get into those long lines at the bank or the supermarket, can others see
Je-sus in you? As you work on your job; as you go out for lunch with your co- workers, can they see Je-sus in you? As your frends talk with you or
talk about you, can they see Jesus in you? As you work around the house,as you perform your daily functions, can your son or daughter, your husband
or wife or your neighbor see Jesus in you?
As we close, What if Jesus should show up at your house uninvited, would you be surprised?
What if you were asked to witness to a lost soul, what would you say? What if you had only two hours to live, would you be ready to go? By the grace of God, I intend to make heaven my home. In the beginning
was the Word; all things were made by him; the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory. Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word wants to be your friend forever, do you want to be his friend?
Let us stand
Call to discipleship
Closing song/prayer
