John 1:1-5; 14-18 - Christmas Eve - Jesus is God with us

Silas has slept in our bed since he was very little.

I have wanted to remove him from our bed for a LONG TIME.

When he goes to Mimi/Papaw’s, sleeps in his bed fine.

When he’s home, he INSISTS on sleeping with us.

Even when I get him to sleep in his bed in his room, I still wake up with him in our.

One night, I asked him if I brought his mattress into our room, if he sleep in it—He said yes.

What’s the difference in sleeping in your bed in your room v. my room?

“I want to be with you.”

The ministry of presence is real.

When you’re sad/discouraged/hopeless, there’s nothing better than someone being in the room.

No words need to be said.

Simply being there, is a gift.

Big Idea: Jesus is God with us.

Stand to read

John 1:14 ESV

14 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.

Leader: This is God’s Word

Everyone: Thanks be to God

Jesus is the Word

Jesus is God the Son

He had glory with God before creation (John 17:5)

This doesn’t mean that the Word ceased being God.

He is the fullness of God (Col. 1:19) in a person.

The Word, who was God, took on humanity.

The eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, infinitely holy Son of God took on a human nature and lived among humanity as One who was both God and Man at the same time, in one person!

The eternal Son took on flesh to be with us.

He has dwelt among us—Literal translation: “He pitched His tent”

He fulfills the OT symbolism of the tabernacle/ temple (the places God was with His people).

He didn’t send a representative or an assistant.

He made it a priority to be with us.

He cleared His schedule.

It was the pivotal point of redemption.

I did my undergrad online.

When I finished, Hilary, Silas, and I drove out to Kansas City to graduate.

I invited my parents. friends, and others to come, but to ask them to drive 8 hours to Kansas City to watch me walk across a stage was crazy.

The three of us get to Kansas City and I’m in awe of the school.

I’m looking at the Spurgeon Library and TOTALLY NERDING OUT.

Then it comes time for rehearsal, and as I left Hilary/Silas to go prepare.

When I come out, my parents are standing there with gigantic smiles.

They made the trip just to watch me shake a guys hand I’ve never met and grab a piece of paper I spent too much money/time on.

The most beautiful part of the whole thing was that my dad came to be with me.

He drove so far just to be with me.

The ministry of presence is such a gift.

Good news, Church,

God has come to be with us.

Why is this the greatest news ever?

Because we deserve separation/exile/to be alone.

We deserve to be written off—Hell

We’ve sinned against God in every way imaginable.

We deserve to sit in our condemnation by ourselves—no one should bear it for us.

God did not leave us alone—At the perfect time, God the Father and the Holy Spirit miraculously created a body for God the Son.

God became a man.

He took to Himself a human nature to be with us.

He live perfectly righteous because He was God.

God the Son stepped down from glory to be like us and with us and for us.

The Lord is not against you! He is for you!

So for you that He took the punishment for your sins that He didn’t deserve!

So for you that He died on the cross so that you could be forgiven of your sins.

So for you that He freely offers you His righteous standing as a child of God!

Can you see this glory?!

Can you see this Savior?!

We have seen His glory (v. 15)

John was a witness to Jesus’s glory!

“We have seen His glory”

John testifies to us “I have seen that this is the fullness of God in a person” (v. 16)

John 1:16 ESV

16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

Jesus gives us God’s grace.

John 1:17 ESV

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

How?—We receive grace and truth through Christ (v. 17)

Was the Law a gracious gift? Yes!

God revealed Himself to His people unlike any other nation!

That’s an amazingly good gift.

The revelation of God that Jesus shows us is so much better than what the law provided.

The Law revealed to us how we are to live as God’s people.

We would never be able to live up to it.

Jesus revealed to us that God is here to live with His people.

How?—He has made God known to us (v. 18)

John explains to us his amazement.

No one has ever seen God. No human eyes have laid eyes on God.

Jesus has made the invisible God visible.

Jesus has come to us to make God knowable.

Jesus is God’s best revelation to us.

You want to see/know God? Look to Jesus.

Church,

You can know God through faith in Jesus Christ

There is no greater privilege in the world than to know God.

To know Who created and sustains you.

To know Who has pursued you and loved you.

To know Who has laid down His life to give you a right relationship with God.

My son knows he is safe/comfortable in my room because he knows we are there.

My parents drove across the Midwest to show me they loved me.

The Son of God left heaven so you can know God’s love for you.

You can truly know God through believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross for your sins and rose again three days later.

You can know God and be saved by God’s grace.

Church, the greatest gift of Christmas is not found under a tree but in a manger—God Himself came to be with us. When we were separated by sin, God did not stay distant; He drew near. When we deserved judgment, He brought grace. The Word became flesh, pitched His tent among us, and went all the way to the cross so that we could know God, be forgiven, and never be alone again. Tonight, you don’t have to clean yourself up or figure everything out—you simply have to receive the gift. Trust in Jesus, the God who came to be with you, and take your next step toward Him.

Take the Next Step

Recognize and receive the gift that Jesus has given you.

What greater Christmas gift could you receive than to know God and to receive His grace toward sinners?

Share this gift with someone else.

Offer someone the free gift of God’s grace and invite them into the good life, where Jesus is.