Before I get into the message this morning, I just want to give you a little head-up of what we have coming down the road to begin 2025 with. I am working on a series of message under the heading of “2025 – A Year to Define Your Purpose.” To think that the God who hung the moon and the stars; the God who set day and night into their proper place, the God who caused a catastrophic event like the Flood of Noah’s Day to move the plate tectonics to form the earth as we now know it, To think that that same God formed man out of the dust of the earth, and breathe into his nostrils the breathe of life, to think that that same God has a specific purpose for our lives individually. So, beginning in January, I am going to challenge every one of us to let 2025 be the Year that each of us define our God-ordained purpose! So, I hope you will plan to be with us.
Now, when you think about the church, what a powerful force the church is. To describe the church, I would use words like compassion, courage, committment, even contagious to describe the church. But I wonder, as we go out into the community, I wonder what words they use to describe the church. In fact, there was a survey conducted a few years ago that asked the question – “Do you have to go to church to be a good Christian?” Astonishingly, 86% of the people that took the survey said – NO. SO, as they look at the church, you might say, to them, the church is outdated, insignificant, unimpactful, and I would venture to say, even unnecessary.
I’ll tell you, man, church can be messy can’t it? I would even say that there are times in our own lives when we feel like going to church is more of a hindrance or a burden than a help or a blessing. Sometimes we just feel like the church is a barrier between us connecting with God. When the volume on the music is too loud, or the person standing next to you is singing at the top of the lungs – and out of key, or the preacher is just preaching to slow and to dry. Or maybe the church is a barrier to God when the coffee isn’t hot enough or the donuts warm enough.
Or maybe the church is a barrier to God when you look around at the people you go to church with and say to yourself, “Those people are hypocrites.” Or maybe you look around you and you realize people are looking at you and saying that “YOU are a hypocrite.” But the truth is, when you look at the church, it is always going to be messy. Why? Because people are involved – and we are messy! I AM MESSY! But that is what the church DOES, not who the church IS.
And what is the church IS, has nothing to do with us flawed, imperfect people, but has everything to do with God. So, before we can understand what the church DOES, we need to understand what the church IS.
The term church comes from the Greek word “Ekklesia.” A “gathering, an Assembly” literally “The called-out ones.” So, the CHURCH is not a PLACE, it is a PEOPLE. So, literally speaking, if you are a follower of Jesus, you do not GO TO CHRUCH, you ARE THE CHURCH. But it is easy to get that wrong to by saying “I am the church.” But that’s not quite the meaning here – remember, it is a gathering, an assembly. So, it is not I AM the church, but WE are the church. It is plural.
And as we go into this Holiday Season, I want to speak this morning on where it all began with a message titled “WHEN THE WORD BECAME FLESH.”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” That is three theological statements in one sentence that are going to play themselves out in these few verses as we go forward. “2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness (THAT’S US) comprehended it not.
Now skip down to verse 14:
“And the Word was made 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.”
Now look at verse 18,
“No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
Now, the verse I want to end on, is a little out of order, but let’s look at verse 12:
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” Let’s pray and ask for God’s blessings and understanding of His Living Word.
John 1is probably one of the most profound passages in the New Testament, and here’s why: It tells us about Jesus Christ. And let me take that a step further, it tells of about Jesus Christ and His eternal existence, and about Him coming in the flesh.
Now here is what I want you to understand about that statement: For Him to be a Redeemer, for Him to be our Savior – He had to be God, yet He also had to be man – “born of flesh.” And John 1 points out that Jesus fits both those criteria.
A lot of folks are turned off in talking about Christmas, but folks, I’m going to tell you, there is no Christmas without Christ.
I read an article a few years ago about the banning Of Christmas. Interestingly, enough, one of the places this ban has had the biggest impact, is in the State of Maryland. And I’ll tell you, that it saddens me when you hear the highest offices in our land say that we are no longer a Christian Nation.
Truth is folks, without Christ – there is no Christmas. I like the way one guy put it: “You can just as well take the heat out of fire, the wet out of water and the notes out of music as to have Christmas without Christ.”
Me personally, I don’t have a problem with lights, and decorations, or even exchanging gifts. But having said that, I will say to you, I don’t want to experience Christmas without emphasizing Christ!
In the message this morning, I want to give you the theological reasons that Christ came. I will not be talking about Kris Kringle, or Santa Klaus, or Rudolf the Red nosed Reindeer, but I’m going to talk about “the Word that 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.” And that is Jesus Christ. So, looking at Christmas from a theological point of view, I really want to show you:
CHRISTMAS FROM HEAVEN’S POINT OF VIEW
The first thing I want to say to you is “Jesus is heaven’s language.” It’s His idea. It is the idea of God that Jesus Christ be born.
“Well preacher, why is that important?” The bible says, “In the beginning WAS THE WORD.” And it is important to understand that Jesus Christ is THE living Word of God!
So, what is a “word?” A “word is vehicle of communication.” Words are the way we communicate with one another. It’s the way we teach. the way we preach, the way we reach one another. Words are important because they are our vehicle to communicate.
So, when the Bible says “In the beginning was the Word . . .” it is saying that Jesus is a vehicle of God’s communication. He is God’s Living Word.
When Jesus was born, He was God’s vehicle of communication with man! Jesus Christ was the heart and mind of God living among us.
- He was the Alpha and the Omega;
- The first and the last.
- The beginning and the end.
WHERE DID JESUS COME FROM?
When the Bible says, “In the beginning . . .” it is not attributing a beginning to God, as He is from everlasting to everlasting. But it refers to the beginning of His creative and Redemptive Work. So, when John tells us “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God,” he is also stating that the birth of Jesus was not the beginning of Jesus. He was here long before Christmas rolled around.
The prophet Isaiah said, “Unto us a Son is given . . .” Well, it’s pretty hard to give something that doesn’t exist, isn’t it?
“In the Beginning . . .” Jesus predates Himself.
“was the Word . . .” Jesus is the Word.
“And the Word was with God . . .” Jesus was with the Father.
“And the Word was God.” Jesus and the Father are One. Jesus Himself said “I and the Father are One.” He also said, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”
You know there are a lot of things I don’t understand, and even things I can’t explain. But there are some things I simply believe – and I believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – God in Three Persons – Perfect Trinity!
So, where did He come from and what makes Him special? He was WITH God, He came FROM God, and He IS God.
WHAT DID HE COME TO DO?
Verse 14 says, “And the Word was made 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.”
I don’t know what it was like when God the Father told God the Son that he was going to send Him down to dwell among the Darkness (us). All I know is, my Bible says, “The Word was made flesh . . .”
He was born of a woman who never knew a man (a miracle). God in His omnipotence, placed the seed inside the virgin woman Mary.
He had to be flesh to die, but He had to be God to live without sin. You see folks, if we could live without sin, we wouldn’t have to worry about this thing called death. But there is nobody in this building this morning that is without sin – no not one!
Jesus, on the other hand, never had a bad thought or did a bad deed. He was the perfect, sinless Son of God. He is the only One capable of being our acceptable sacrifice. He came to die for me and for you. He came to pay a debt that we could not pay.
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, BUT, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 5:8 says, “God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
So WHY did Jesus come? Luke 19:10 tells us, “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
WHY did Jesus come? Because according to verse 12, “. . . as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
WHY did Jesus come? Because “God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).”
There’s an old song called “Born to Die” that I believe sums these verses better than any words I can say:
It must have broken God’s heart
For the future He could see.
Yet He formed the hands
And feet knowing one day
They’d be nailed to a tree.
So all the world could know Him,
A gift came from above.
For God so loved the world
That He gave His only Son.
Jesus, Sweet baby Jesus,
Is that a tear of love in Your eye.
Jesus, sweet baby Jesus,
Because for me You were born to die.
Why did He come? So that you and I, through our faith in Jesus Christ could become the Sons of God – so that we could have life, and have it more abundantly! That’s what He came to do!
I want to read a poem that was sent to me a few weeks ago. Though I haven’t memorized it, YET, the more I read it, the more it has an impact on me. It’s titled
“A Christmas Letter from Jesus.”
When you look for me at Christmas, You want need a special star.
I’m no longer just in Bethlehem – I’m right here where you are.
You may not be aware of me – amid the celebrations.
You’ll have to look beyond the stores, and all the decorations.
But if you take a moment from your list of things to do,
To close your eyes and say a prayer, I’m waiting here for you.
You’re the one I want to be with, the reason that I came.
And you’ll find me in the stillness, where I’ll be whispering your name!
Fighting for My Pea Patch 