Born to Be Wild

Introduction

Segway from the previous sermon’s build up of the Old Testament expectation of the long await Messiah.

Anticipation Building year after year, century after century, millennia after millennia. Until it almost seem like God was not going to keep His promise.

Books that contained the prophecy of Jesus. Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 2 Samuel, Psalm, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hosea, Zechariah, Micah, Malachi.

Ex 33:18 “Moses said, “Please show me your glory.””

Is 40:5 “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.””

Finally a letter begins circulating, it’s from a man named John. While there have been other Gospel’s that had shown and testified of a man that claimed to be God, John would be the first to describe his deity. His main purpose can be seen in Jn 20:31 “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

And while we know of the story of Jesus’ birth through the historical Christmas Story, do we grasp the weight of what has transpired theologically?

When I was younger and I heard a song I really enjoyed, it was mainly because it made me feel good. It would have some words of encouragement or a beat that would really build up and would make me feel more confident, more ecstatic, and even times more angry. I would listen to the song over and over and over again, I would learn it’s words, I would play it in the morning, and all throughout the day, and at night. I would play it in my car, and in the gym, I would play it non-stop, it was almost like an escape, no. It was an escape. But much like everything that feels “new” and exciting, over time the song began to wear on me, I would get tired of it, it wouldn’t provide me the same feeling of escape or comfort anymore, and slowly and surely I wouldn’t play it as much anymore. Sure I still liked the song, but it had lost it’s “touch”, it’s “magic”. I fear the world has felt much of the same towards Christmas. What Christmas, really means that is.

I’m sure especially here, at this time, every night you’re hearing more and more sermons about Christmas, about the great story of how a virgin gave birth to a child in a manger. They may want to invite you into the manger, to see the baby laying in the feeding trough while Mary lay tired from giving birth to a perfectly healthy baby boy. Angels appearing to shepherds rejoicing and telling them that the messiah is born while playing trumpets overhead. You may hear of stories of three magi following a star over head that guided them to worship this baby giving gold and frankincense and myrrh. Maybe this story has been heard as a youth somewhere mixed in with Santa Clause, elves, reindeer, presents. Warm thoughts of your childhood wonder may come and you may remember bright lights, cookies, candy canes, snowball fights, sledding, and so on. But all of this may be overshadowed by darkness. Maybe you’ve been had more difficult years, years of being homeless, forgotten, outcast, shunned estranged, being abused, taken advantage of, beaten, robbed. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one and this year hurts more and more because you miss the one that made Christmas more worth it.

This message is for you. This message is the message of hope, this message is the message of love. This message is the message of The Word, Jesus Christ, and the staggering reality of what Christmas means for the world, and for you and I personally.

Segway from the previous sermon’s build up of the Old Testament expectation of the long await Messiah.

Anticipation Building year after year, century after century, millennia after millennia. Until it almost seem like God was not going to keep His promise.

Books that contained the prophecy of Jesus. Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 2 Samuel, Psalm, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hosea, Zechariah, Micah, Malachi.

Ex 33:18 “Moses said, “Please show me your glory.””

Is 40:5 “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.””

Finally a letter begins circulating, it’s from a man named John. While there have been other Gospel’s that had shown and testified of a man that claimed to be God, John would be the first to describe his deity. His main purpose can be seen in Jn 20:31 “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

And while we know of the story of Jesus’ birth through the historical Christmas Story, do we grasp the weight of what has transpired theologically?

And while we know of the story of Jesus’ birth through the historical Christmas Story, do we grasp the weight of what has transpired theologically? This is what John wants us to see. He wants us to see the Word, who is the Christmas Light, Christmas Miracle, and Christmas Present.

The Christmas Light

Only in darkness can a light be recognized. And only the light can shine brightly to allow you to see where you are going. We all start off in this life in spiritual darkness, walking aimlessly to find satisfaction promised by a world ran by the devil. This world has suffering, pain, and death and we all try to find an answer to the meaning of life and most of us fail to recognize the light.

The Word - Jews would have recognized this as the spoken Word of God in the Old Testament, it was the way God revealed Himself because He could not be seen. To the Greeks it was an impersonal deity or force that was the origination of all life.

The Word is the God Jn 1:1-4 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

He is eternal, co-existent with God, and is God. Grk: And God was the Word.

MP - The complexity and mystery of what has just been said is indescribable. Such knowledge is too enormous for us to really grasp. The wonder of the power of God, of who He is, and what He has done should grip us and cause us to fall on our knees in adoration and worship. And yet we don’t… Because we dwell and darkness, we love the darkness more than the light… This is what makes him our Christmas miracle…

The Christmas Miracle

The Word Emptied Himself Php 2:6-8 “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

The Word Became Flesh - Grk. Sarx - The Immortal not only emptied Himself but took on the weakness of flesh. He would know what it would be to be hungry, the one who is said that never slumbers or sleeps would now need to sleep. (Ps 121, cf. Mk 4:38). And he would know what it would mean to suffer, to bleed, and to die. The immortal would experience mortality.

The World Dwelled with Us - Grk. “SkenOA” To Tabernacle or dwell with us, hold onto that thought. But think about this for a moment, the Word comes into enemy territory in weakness and in flesh, for you.... But there’s far greater implications for this.

MP - This is the Christmas Miracle, this is God coming into this world, enemy territory to save sinners. He does so in the most surprising of ways, by being born of a virgin in the likeness of Human Flesh. Fully God and Fully man realized… But the Story doesn’t end with the birth of the God-man, but only truly begins here, there was an end in sight…

The Christmas Present

For God so Loved the world HE GAVE His Son. Despite it all, and the word has..

… shown his glory to the apostles and to us

When I was little, I always wanted to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus. I would try so hard at night to stay awake, I would hear every rustling outside and think it was him. I was so excited to finally meet him. I would determine with all of my might at 7:30pm that I wouldn’t go to bed until Santa showed (probably around midnight). I would then be fast asleep by 8:35pm. Imagine what would happen if Santa was real and actually came down? How elated I would feel, how that memory would last with me forever and I would cherish it? Well, this kind of experience actually happened, and was actually real, with the actual God, in an actual historical setting, with actual witnesses.

Jn 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Jn 2:11 “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”

Mt 17:1-2 “Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.”

The Word is full of grace and truth

Lk 22:41-44 “And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Jn 19:26 “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!””

MP - Jesus explained God to us, He explained our plight, and He showed us His glory, His grace, and His truth most on the cross

Conclusion

O come, all you unfaithful Come, weak and unstable Come, know you are not alone

O come, barren and waiting ones Weary of praying, come See what your God has done

Christ is born, Christ is born Christ is born for you

O come, bitter and broken Come with fears unspoken Come, taste of His perfect love

O come, guilty and hiding ones There is no need to run See what your God has done

Christ is born, Christ is born Christ is born for you