Sermon Tone Analysis

Start with POLLS: Christmas Edition from dym

So Christmas is so close at this point that you can probably taste it!

I know I can taste it!

It tastes like the Chex mix that Kristen’s mom made this weekend!

It tastes like the peppermint and white chocolate fudge that someone brought to the church office for us!

I’m excited!

We have all the Christmasy things happening, and all the parents are freaking out over getting all the shopping done, and we have all these other Christmas things happening.

They tend to distract us from Christmas right?! From what we’re supposed to be celebrating to begin with.

As I was thinking about what to teach on tonight, I found that video we watched earlier (God With Us from dym) and it hit me that all the times I’ve taught on Christmas I’ve always tried to find something different that people may not have heard before.

Something about the wise men or something from the Old Testament.

I’ve never taught on the most basic thing about Christmas, how incredible it is that the God of Heaven, the Creator, the One who gave us life, left Heaven and took humanity on Himself to offer us salvation!

So that’s what we’re going to talk about tonight!

READ

Where He came from and why it matters

We need to understand who Jesus is to understand what a big deal it is that he came to us.

Some of the best videos on the internet that I never watch are soldier homecoming videos.

The reason I never watch them is because I rarely ever think, “I really feel like crying right now, I’ll watch some soldiers surprise their families!”

It’s guaranteed, if you watch them and you have a soul, you will cry!

If I’m sitting in my office over there and turn one of those on and Evan comes to see me, I’m sitting there crying, my face looks all weird because I was trying not to cry, Evan asks, “why are you crying?” (he’d probably say “why you cryin Brian” cause he’s like that).

I’d snap back, “I’m not crying, you’re crying!”

I don’t want that!

On the patriotic holidays ESPN always shows some videos and it’s always like, I’m trying to be macho and watch sports ESPN!

Why are you making me cry!?

These videos get to us because of the love they show.

These soldiers make unexpected appearances and their families are overwhelmed because they are so excited to see them.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus made the most unexpected appearance in history!

The Word became flesh and took up residence among us.

We’re talking about God the Son leaving Heaven and taking humanity onto himself.

He didn’t stop being God, He just added being human.

Fully God and fully man.

He was 200%.

I know it’s not mathematically possible, but He’s God!

He can do that!

Look back up at

Joh

Where else have you heard that phrase “In the beginning” in the Bible?

flip back to Gen 1

Jesus was God.

Who created us.

And everything else!

He was with God the Father and the Holy Spirit in Heaven.

He became human.

That’s what is says right here, He took on flesh.

He took on all that comes with it.

Struggle, temptation, hardship, humiliation.

He left Heaven to do this because of his love for us!

Ok, so He was God, became man.

Did He keep being God when He became a man?

Colossians 1:

Fully God.

Fully human.

Left Heaven and took up residence among us to save his people for the glory of his name.

Why does it matter?

It says, “we observed his glory...”

We were able to see in Him what God made us to be.

He was able to be that in our place.

That’s why it matters!

It matters because it show the great love that He had for us, to leave Heaven and come to Earth.

To leave paradise and come to a sin ridden place with sin ridden people because He didn’t want Heaven without us!

So be overcome by that, because that’s greater than any soldier surprising their family!

They’re supposed to come home.

God’s not supposed to have to do this, but we sinned.

And He did it!

We respond to this by worshipping Him.

Give your life in worship through obedience, beginning with calling on Jesus for forgiveness!

Let’s just take a moment now to worship Him for this.

PRAY

Why He had to come

So that’s where He came from and why that matters.

Why did He have to come?

Genesis chapter three, verse six is why He had to come...

Genesis chapter three, verse six is why it matters...

A few weeks ago Dyersburg Primary call and said that Parker was sick and someone needed to come and get him.

I went to pick him up (Evan watched the other boys while I got Parker and took him to the doctor) and I took Parker to the doctor to see what was going on.

Parker’s first question any time he has to go to the doctor is if he’s going to get a shot.

Actually, he really doesn’t even ask, he just starts to cry and keeps yelling he doesn’t want a shot.

Parker is kind of a wuss.

He’s the kid I’m going to have to push off the high dive.

But he’s terrified of shots.

Like hyperventilates.

And he’s super aware of what’s going on at the doctor because of it.

When I took him to the doctor that day he was watching my phone.

They were going to have to prick his finger to get some blood, so when they came into do it I tried to keep his attention on my phone, but he knew.

He noticed the nurse getting something ready and getting close to his finger and he lost it, cause he thinks it’s just as bad as a shot.

He freaks out and starts grabbing on to my neck and yelling.

Then by the time we left the doctor he didn’t have a fever anymore and he felt totally fine!

We were able to see in Him what God made us to be.

He was able to be that in our place.

That’s why it matters!

That trip to pick him up and take him to the doctor was a trip I didn’t want to have to make and I knew it wouldn’t be pleasant, but I was happy to do it because I love him.

I think this is something like what Jesus felt about coming to Earth.

read vv 16-18

We’re sinners and we can’t help it, but Jesus came, full of grace and truth, so our sin could be forgiven!

It would have been justice for God to let every sinner go to Hell, but He loves us too much for that, so He made a plan to save us.

Jesus came to reveal the Father to us.

To reconcile us to the Father.

To give us forgiveness for our sins and righteousness to stand before God and enter Heaven with Him.

Because humanity sinned, we needed humanity to represent us, so Jesus took on flesh.

Because God would be unjust if He didn’t punish sin, there had to be a death.

Because Jesus is God and man, He was able to lead a sinless life in our place.