SENT: Jesus Born in You

(S1)

What are the odds of being born in an exact place and in an exact time?

“Scientists have calculated the probability you would exist as the unique person you are. The odds are 1 in 400 trillion (14 zeros). The probability of your parents meeting, falling in love, and procreating along with your ancestors… The chance of you being born as you, was 1 in 10 to the 2,685,000th power.

2 million people getting together to play a game with a trillion sided dice and each coming up with the exact same number.

You can’t deny the amazing miracle of you being born as you—your life as you know it

(S2)

This is precisely what happened in the when, where and the how of Jesus’ birth...

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman…Galatians 4:4 (NLT)

The story of Christmas as we know it was not humanly possible

—A planned birth to a virgin...Prophesied by Isaiah hundreds of years early

Isaiah 7:14 “the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.”

— not just one birth but two—a messenger who will prepare the way...

Malachi 3:1 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.

— A messiah born at the right time, in exactly the right place...

Micah 5:2 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.”

— Kings, wisemen, a star at just the right moment

Numbers 24:17 “17 I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel.

What are the chances of the Christmas story as we know it? You can’t deny miracle of Jesus’ birth. It was no accident—God is the only one who could have pulled it off

Where do we get this amazing Christmas narrative?

— Matthew…Joseph/angel—Magi/Herod

— Luke…Birth of J.B and Jesus foretold—Mary/Elizabeth—Actual birth account of Jesus

— Mark…to big of a hurry to get to the good stuff

— John—one verse...more unbelievable then all the rest

(S3)

John 1:14 (NIV)

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

The gospel writer wants us to know two things—Who Jesus is. Why Jesus came

1. WHO? Word (logos)—Revelation of God to the world in Jesus

This was a big deal—only a few heard from God...no one saw God and lived...

John 1:18 “ No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.”

Jesus was and is, Emmanuel God with us (MT)...

Still this theological concept of God with us, would have been really hard to grasp…

This raises a couple of questions…

Does God really know me? Can I really know God?

Was my parents getting together, my birth…just by chance or is there something bigger going on here...

2. WHY Jesus’ was SENT?

Spoiler alert...give you the climax of John’s Christmas story first...

1:12-13

(S4)

Jesus was SENT to be BORN in you!

For John, the Christmas story as cute, precious and exciting as it is…is all about why Jesus was sent

Does God really know me? The answer is yes! You, me and every person born and yet to be born

Jeremiah 1:5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.

What God knows about us

1. We live in a fallen world

— Adam/Eve—Darkness we can’t deny—ever since, satan has been caniving, lying, cheating, his way into every person’s life, to steal their heart from God.

— Until the first Christmas God had been doing everything he could through the prophets to turn the hearts of people back to him.

God knew people needed HOPE— which would come in the form of Jesus as the light of the world

(S5)

John 1:9 (NLT)

The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world

True (alēthinós)—”as a divine attribute, describing God”— Jesus is the light of God with us

The need for light assumes the presence of darkness

Psalm 74:20 “Remember your covenant promises, for the land is full of darkness and violence!”

Darkness (Bible)—evil, place of despair, death, separation from God...

Jeremiah 2:31 “O my people, listen to the words of the Lord! Have I been like a desert to Israel? Have I been to them a land of darkness? Why then do my people say, ‘At last we are free from God! We don’t need him anymore!’”

We live in a world that is trying hard to separate itself from God. Without hope there would only be despair. Without light their would only be darkness

The second thing that God knows about us

2. We have a sinful nature

(S6)

Revealed in Jesus’s rejection by some

10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.

God knew that because of our human sin nature, some would reject jesus as the true light

“No man is destitute of the illumination of this light, for God has revealed something of Himself to all people, but not all will accept him.”

Light is meant to illuminate—to reveal what is true and to expose what is not

Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

Because we live in a fallen world—because we have a sinful nature...

(S7)

Jesus was sent to be born in you…

I. …so the light would be GREATER than the darkness

1 John 4:4 “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”

Light (Bible)—the presence of God

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””

(S8)

Because of our fallen nature, Jesus was sent to be born in you...

II. ...so you could become a CHILD of the light!

13 …they are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

New birth—that is not humanly possible...

Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus…how can i be born again

John 12:36 “Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”

To become a child of living God is to receive Christ who is then born incarnate (in the flesh) in you.

Born not just in the world but in us…A part of God—adopted into God’s family—born to be like Jesus so we could be one with him (like him)

As a child emulates their parents, so does a child of God imitate Jesus

Jesus washed dirty feet, so we would serve others…

Jesus ate with sinners, so we could know his forgivness…

Jesus brought false teaching into the light, so we could know the truth that sets us free…

Jesus came to be like us…so we could know what it is to be like him!

One could say, that Jesus was to human for the worlds taste, but jesus new we lived in a fallen world and that we have sinful nature…light that is greater than the darkness was the only answer.

Light of God that was meant for everyone...

We all have this human tendency to reject God’s gift of love…

— When our desires surpass Gods’ best for us

— If we don’t feel we deserve it

— Have not known real love

— If we have been rejected ourselves…

But we will never be turned away by God — His love is greater than our deficits, whether they are our own doing or not.

Romans 5:15 “But there is a great difference between Adam’s (man) sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.”

Jesus came to be born in you and me, so the light would be greater than the darkness, and we could become a children of the light—the living God

(S9) — How?

John 1:12 (NLT)

12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to be born of God.

Each one of us is offered this gift of the light of grace — It only need be received!

Laurie is a friendly, twenty-four-year-old young lady who had been asked to serve as a ring bearer at the wedding of our son, Joel, and Jeanne Anne. She sat in the front pew with Jeanne Anne’s folks during the early part of the ceremony until I mentioned that a very special friend of Jeanne Anne’s would step forward with the rings. At this point she clapped joyously and with a broad grin gingerly moved forward with the rings.

Our son, Randy, the best man, stepped down to meet her. Then, proud as a peacock, she presented the rings for that part of the service. According to the script, she was then to go back down. But she was enjoying herself too much to leave now, standing there between the groom and the best man. So Randy gently and quite naturally put his arm over her shoulder and every once in awhile she would gently tap Joel and grin as if to say, “Don’t forget me. I’m still here.” Laurie brought an unexpected tenderness, a gift of grace, to the rest of the service, which most people now followed through tear-filled eyes.

Humanly speaking, Laurie is a retarded young lady, abused much of her early life. She is now a precious student of Jeanne Anne’s. Jeanne Anne lovingly teaches retarded adults. And having no one in the world to claim her, Laurie has spent much time at Jeanne Anne’s home. Can any one of us measure the gift of God-given light in Laurie that blessed us all that day? (2)

Does God really know me? Can I really know God?

You can’t deny the amazing miracle of Jesus being born in you—God’s plan all along

Jesus’ birth was no accident...

(S10)

Your HEART, was always meant to be His BETHLEHEM

Humanly speaking we don;t measure up…God knows we live in a fallen world and have a sinful nature, but the light of Jesus levels the playing field…

Just as your birth was not an accident, neither is your rebirth…only the odds are very good—You only have to BELIEVE and RECEIVE the greatest gift of new life in Jesus

To receive the light is to be born again in Jesus……

Resources

1- Roger L. Fredrikson and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, John, vol. 27, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1985), 37.

2- The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 27: John (Rejected, but Also Received)