The Person, The Power, and The Purpose of Christmas Sermon (4)

The Person, The Power, and The Purpose of Christmas

Text: John 1:1-5

Jn 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. [1]

· I realize that John’s gospel is not the typical Christmas text, John’s gospel is not about angels, or shepherds, or stars, or sheep.

· Unlike Matthew’s gospel or unlike Luke’s gospel, there is no genealogy, there is no birth narrative, there is no angelic course, there is no heavenly host, there is no shepherds in the fields keeping watch over their flock. There is no manger, no Inn, John just gets right to the heart of the matter.

· He does not give us what Matthew gives us in his birth narrative, he does not give us what Luke give us in hie genealogy.

· But he does something that the other writers do not do, John puts the greatest delivery of all time into human context.

In verse one Jesus Christ is eternally God: “In the beginning was the Word,[2]”… He is eternally God, … “And the Word was with God,[3]” … He is equally God… “And the Word was God” … He is essentially God

· Eternally, Equally, and Essentially God

· Bethlehem is the place of His birth, but not His beginning

· Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but he did not begin in Bethlehem

He is God’s agent in creation… He is also God’s agent in redemption, because there never was a time when Jesus was not.

· He is eternally God

· He is equally God

· He is essentially God

Vs.1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [4]

Verse two repeats verse #1

· 2 He was in the beginning with God. [5] The same was in the beginning

· VS. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. [6]

If I was to ask you? What is the greatest manifestation of God’s power is there would be various answers

· What in your thinking, what in your mind is the greatest manifestation of God’s power?

Some might say that the greatest of God’s manifestation was in God’s creation… He said let there be light, and there was light. Some would say that this was God’s greatest manifestation of power because God just said let there be, and whatever was not started straining to become.

· Let there be… might be someone’s answer of God’s greatest manifestation of God’s creation.

· Someone else might say God’s greatest manifestation was His miracles, He just looked at water and the water blushed in red into wine… That’s a miracle

· He took two fish and five barely loaves and fed five-thousand men not counting women and children

· He was just walking in a crowd and a woman just touched His clothes who had an issue of blood and when He stopped the blood stopped

· Jairus daughter was at the point of death and Jesus took her by the hand and she came back to life.

· And there was the widow of Nain who was on the way to bury her only son and Jesus put his hand on the bier and the boy came back to life, perhaps you would say that His greatest manifestation of power rest in His miracles.

Some might say that his greatest manifestation of power was on the cross

· When he shed His blood for the remission of our sin

Somebody might even go further and say that his greatest manifestation of God’s power

· Was in the resurrection, that He was buried in a borrowed grave. A Rock on top of a rock, a Rock surrounded by a rock, and they moved the stone away and Jesus came out and left the grave clothes as if to suggest He’s never going back into the grave again and that would be to you God’s greatest manifestation of power

But I submit this morning that God’s greatest manifestation of power is not creation, not the miracles, the cross, or the resurrection.

· The greatest manifestation of power was that He added humanity to His divinity.

· He took on human flesh and he came to die in my place

· He lowered Himself

· He emptied Himself

· He poured himself in a body of weakness and flesh that He might become what I am that I might become what He is!

· That’s the greatest of manifestation

· That’s the greatest expression of God’s power that He lowered himself to become a human being, that God could be comprehensible because we could not understandable unless he became one of us

The creator of creation, humbled himself and became a creature in His creation

· That’s the power of Christmas

· Christmas is not about a person, but it’s about God manifesting His power!

· He subdues himself

· He lowered himself

· He humbled himself

Humility is not about being less or being weak, humility is about having power but keeping it under control, you can crush your opponent, you can put people down who is under you, but that’s not a sign of power, that’s a sign of insecurity.

· If you have to make people look small to make yourself look big, that’s not power, that a sign in insecurity.

· Because when you are comfortable in your skin, when you know who you are, you don’t have to impress nobody

· You don’t care who likes you

· You don’t care who don’t like you

· You don’t care who’s on your side, or who’s not on your side, you can walk humbly in your own skin.

Humility is power under control: Let me help it make since, you remember when Jesus was standing before Pilot, and he had been tried in Harold’s court, then to Pilot’s court, then back to Harold’s court, and Harold sent him back to Pilot all night long this goes on.

And Pilot finally ask him who are you? And the Scripture says that Jesus does not open His mouth. Then Pilot says do you know who I am? Since you will not tell me who you are, I have the power to take your life, and for the first time Jesus opens His mouth.

· Jesus says no man takes my life, I lay it down, and if I lay it down then I have the power to take it back up again.

· If he wanted to, He could have called 12,000 legions of angels to come down to his rescue…but he had his power under control!

· You don’t have to be what people call you, just don’t answer because when you know who you are and who you belong too that’s power under control.

The power of Christmas is not in trees or tinsels

· It’s not in packages and parties

· It’s not in boxes and bows

· Meals and mistle toes

It’s about God himself coming down to be a baby to be dependent on his mother, the creator becomes depend on the creature

· Jesus is power under control, He is the maker and master of His creation He holds all things together, all things hold together in Him.

· Jesus is not a semi-God

· Jesus is not God Jr.

· He was with God, face to face, and when God said let us make man in our image, Jesus was the one who He was talking to.

· Jesus is the thought of God, He is the agent of His creation

· He’s the smoke that appeared between the two cherubim’s

· He’s the stone that David let go of from his sling shot

· He’s the pillar of cloud by day, the pillar of fire by night

· Jesus is the Shekinah cloud that rested in the tabernacle with the Children of Israel in the wilderness

· Jesus is God saying something

Though your sins be as scarlet… they can be white as snow

Though they be red as crimson… they can become like wool

God is still saying something!

· Psalms 27:1: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

whom shall, I fear? [7]… The Lord is still saying something

· Ps. 23:1-2: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. [8]… He’s still saying something

· He’s the root of Jessie

· He’s the stump of David

· He’s the Wisdom of God and the life of men

· He’s the Bright and Morning Star

· He’s a bridge over troubled water

· He’s the Star of David

· He’s Mary’s baby

· He is Jesus the Son of God

One day in Bethlehem of Judea God said something

· God said no matter what you have done, I am still saying something

· No matter how dark your path, you can come to me and be saved

· No matter who does not love you, I still love you in heaven

· God said something so you ought to say something

The Bible says: Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

whom he has redeemed from trouble [9] (Ps. 107:2).

· Say so… Say so… Say so!

· Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! [10](Ps. 150:6).

God said something, you ought to say something!

· He said something, to somebody right here this morning. Somebody had a hard year, I am not talking about a hard week, you had a hard year! And the only reason you can show up is because God said something

· Weeping may endure for a night… That’s God saying something… But Joy!!!! Comes in the morning!

· You’re here today because you are not going to let anyone, or anything stop you from saying something.

· I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on Jesus

· He’s God eternally

· He’s God equally – I am in verse one… and the word was God!

· He’s God essentially

God loved us so much that He had to come Himself

· My sins were so bad… that He could not send an angel to do that

· My sins were so bad, my iniquities were so bad He had to come Himself

· I’m so glad that money can’t save… because I’m a little short more often than I got money

· I’m glad education can’t save… because not everyone got a chance to attend a university

· I’m so glad that youth and good looks don’t save… because when you become a certain age all that stuff starts to fade away

· But I’m so glad God came Himself

Is there anybody here who can look back over your life and God had to come Himself, I know some of you in here today think that you are not that bad… But there is a few of us who is thankful that God came Himself.

· We got some stuff in our history that we wish you won’t even bring up this morning

· But Jesus came Himself… Is there anybody here who is glad the Lord came Himself

Is there anybody here who know that “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”

In verse 14 it says: And 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. [11]

Is there anybody here can help me talk about grace for a minute… It was nobody but Jesus who came and found me… He picked me up, turned me around, placed my feet on solid ground

· If you are not afraid to testify, come on and help me thank God

· Not for a Christmas tree

· Not for a pine reef on the door

· Not for lights and bulbs on a house

· Not for presents under a tree

But there was a hill called Calvary and on that hill was a tree where Jesus died, He died, but didn’t He die… But early one Sunday morning… He got up with all power in His hand

· Power to walk right

· Power to live right

· Power to talk right

· Power to make me praise His name when I don’t feel like praising Him because He’s been so good to me

· I feel like magnifying Him because he opened so many doors

If the Lord made a way for you, why don’t you tell somebody: I’m so glad that trouble don’t last always… Tell them I’m so glad I got my religion intact

· Tell them… I’m glad I know Him for myself

· If you know Him and you are not ashamed to testify this morning… tell them, you don’t know like I know what the Lord has done for me!!!

· Hallelujah… Hallelujah… have you every just got up at night just thinking about what God did for you

· Shake somebody’s hand and tell them you see my glory… but you don’t know my story

· You see my praise, but you don’t know my problems

· You’re looking at where I am right now, but you don’t know where God brought me from… that’s why I holler so much… that why I shout so much… that’s why I praise Him so much… He’s been just that good… He’s been just that good… He’s been just that good!

Merry Christmas everybody… the greatest gift you have this morning is the gift of salvation… I don’t know about you… But I came to Jesus as I was… I was weary, torn, and sad, but I found in Him a resting place and He has made me glad… Why should I feel discourage… Why should the shadows come… Why should my heart be lonely… and long for heaven and home… When Jesus is my portion, my constant friend is he… His eye is on sparrow, and I know he watches me… I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free His eye… His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [12]

· He’s God Eternally

· He’s God Equally

· And He’s God Essentially

There is nobody like Jesus Christ!

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 1:1–5. [2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 1:1. [3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 1:1. [4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 1:1. [5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 1:2. [6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 1:3. [7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 27:1. [8] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 23:1–2. [9] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 107:2. [10] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 150:6. [11] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 1:14. [12] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 1:1.