Sermon Tone Analysis

The Creator

Before the Manger

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INTRODUCTION

When does life begin?

An angel’s announcement to Mary that she is with child of the Holy Spirit.

Christmas can appear as the celebration of the beginning of Jesus.

At Christmas Jesus takes on a new form, but it was not the beginning.

Christmas is the celebration of Jesus becoming flesh.

It is not his beginning.

Lucas did a masterful job preaching on The Angel of the Lord.

We are going to look at other instances that show Jesus in the Old Testament over next 4 weeks.

READ

PRAY

4 Facts to Know About the Baby in the Manager

Jesus is Eternal

Jesus is Eternal

in the beginning- Jesus already was

Not a starting point- but before the starting point.

Jesus is God's Word

- God said...

  By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

7  He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.

8  Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

9  For he spoke, and it came to be;,he commanded, and it stood firm.

He sent out his word and healed them,mand delivered them from their destruction.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Old Testament prophets spoke "the word of the Lord" - communicated to them by Jesus.- or as Lucas communicated last week- The Angel of the Lord.

- the Logos- john hijacks the Greek philosophical understanding and points to Jesus.

Jesus is God

Relationally "with God

“our”

"with God"= literally, "toward God"= Face to face relationship.-

An interaction between the Word and God.

It's the reason the Son offers us a relationship with the Father.

A relationship with the Son is a relationship with the Father.

If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.

From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

vs 2- reiterates the relationship.

Creatively

No distinguishing one's work from the other.

"The deeds and the words of Jesus are the deeds and the words of God.", Gary Vanderet

vs 3- "All things"= because you cannot separate their work.

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

"Through Him"= common preposition for Jesus- He is the Mediator.

He works between man and God.

They both deserve credit as one creator.

Jesus is Life

then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

- the Fall - punishment of death.

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.

In God creates the division of light and darkness.

The light is good.

It will always overcome the dark.

Jesus came as light into the dark world.

The light he brings is life= eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” 

CONCLUSION

What are you going to do with Jesus?