The Word Became Flesh! Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• As we rapidly approach Christmas this coming Saturday I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas!

• We have been examining the subject over the past couple of weeks as to why Jesus is so special!

• Last week we saw that Jesus is the light of the world, two weeks ago we examined the fact that Jesus is worthy of worship.

• Today was we focus on message on the Christmas theme, we see that Jesus is so special because the Word BECAME FLESH!

• Throughout time man has sought ways to see God or to make a connection with Him. Throughout time man tried all sorts of ways to do it.

• During man’s history, God has reached out to man because He loved man. God created Adam and Eve, and communicated with them, then they sinned and God caste them out of the garden.

• God revealed a bit of Himself through Moses and the 10 Commandments.

• During Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’s time God communicated with man through these men.

• In these last days Hebrews 1:1-3 reminds us that God communicated with us through Jesus!

• Mankind has longed to see God and connect with Him. This explains the reason that throughout history mankind has had a tendency to be religious.

• The emptiness that we experience and the inner desire to see God and connect with Him has driven mankind to be religious.

• God took a step in making the ultimate connection with mankind when Jesus became flesh!

• When people were peering into that manger on they were looking at the face of God!

• The birth of Jesus puts an exclamation point on how much God loves us, but sending His Son to be born in the flesh into this world!

• Today I want to consider three reasons the Word became flesh!

• Let’s begin with John 1:14-15

• SLIDE #2

• John 1:14-15(ESV) 14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15(John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)

• SLIDE #3

SERMON

I. Jesus revealed God’s glory to us. (14-15)

• This verse gives a deeper explanation of the ”word” spoken of in verse 1.

• The reason that the world was able to see the glory of God through Jesus is because Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us.

• The word “dwelt” literally means literally pitched His tent to live among temporarily.

• This passage tells us that Jesus became flesh.

• The phrase “became flesh” means that God changed His nature to take on ours. It denotes ones of a higher order (God) than man, of a different nature, assuming the appearance of man, or becoming a man. He became embodied in flesh.

• When Jesus BECAME flesh through His extraordinary birth Jesus changed His existence from heaven to earth!

• S.D. Gordon (summarizing John 1:14) noted: "Jesus is God spelling Himself out in language that men can understand." Bruce Demarest, Jesus Christ, The God-Man, p. 41

• How many religions of the past and present try to cloak God in some way that you cannot understand Him?

• In the New Age movement, God is just a force, in Hinduism; God is something that cannot be seen.

• God made Himself easy to understand be sending Jesus to represent Him. People could not relate to the gods of Greece or Rome.

• The passage says we have SEEN His GLORY.

• “Seen” does not mean to blindly stare at, but to contemplate, to learn by looking and observing.

• John expands this thought in 1 John 1:1-2

• SLIDE #4

• 1 John 1:1-2(ESV) 1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—

• Glory means splendor, majesty, that which brings honor and praise to someone.

• In the Old Testament God revealed Himself though the Shekinah cloud that led the Israelites through the wilderness.

• God’s glory was so great that when Moses was with God on the mountain in Exodus 34:29 his face shone with God’s glory. The people were afraid to come near him. Moses had to cover his face when he spoke to the people.

• SLIDE #5