(John 1:1-3, 14-18) The Word of Grace Dwells Among Us

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Nathan Sehi

Christamas • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago • Presented 5 years ago • 32:30

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John introduces us to Jesus and his birth very differently then Matthew or Luke. Instead of a magnificent story we are given a theological introduction that describes who Jesus is and what he has done. Although very different, John’s Gospel presents a powerful message about the person and birth of Jesus Christ; one that demands our worship.

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INTRODUCTION:

What defines a true celebration of Christmas?

Christmas is a an odd holiday because it is a Christian holiday in which most Americans celebrate,

ironically without Christ.

In irony, they celebrate Christmas of a Christ

they don't believe in

and some even hate.

The lost world

puts up Christmas lights,

Christmas trees,

they bake yummy cookies,

they gather with family,

and exchange gifts.

They Sing Carols without Christ.

Sadly all while missing the greatest gift they could ever receive.

All while celebrating a Christmas without Christ.

However,

The Christmas for the Christian is distinctly different.

While the tree is the center of Christmas for many,

Jesus Christ is the center of the Christian's Christmas.

It is one of the many ways stand out in this world.

The Christmas story is about God meeting our greatest need in our darkest hour through a baby named Jesus.

Why should Jesus be the center of our Christmas?

John 1:1–3 ESV

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 any thing made that was made.

John 1:1-3

John 1:14–18 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. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Why should Jesus be the center of our Christmas?

Every one of us need Jesus to be the center of our Christmas

And John gives us 3 reasons why we need that.

CLARIFICATION:

The Gospel of John is different from Luke and Matthew in how it introduces us to Jesus.

Luke and Matthew introduces the Jesus by giving us the story of his birth.

John introduces us to Jesus by describing him as the Word.

How do we know that the word described in this passage is in fact Jesus?

Look a little farther down in your Bibles,

because John clearly links Jesus as the word that he's describing in these verses.

John 1:29 ESV

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 2:22 ESV

22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

John 1:22 ESV

22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

I love the way DA Carson describes John’s use of the Word,

In short, God's "Word" in the Old Testament is his powerful self-expression in creation, revelation and salvation, and the personification of that "Word" makes it suitable for John to apply it as the title to God's ultimate self-disclosure, the person of his own son. (D.A. Carson, PNTC)

John powerfully describes Jesus as the Word in which he discloses his own son.

Why does everyone of us need Jesus to be the center of our Christmas?

It is because

The first reason -

First, because of -

1) The Godship of the Word - The Reason Jesus Matters. ()

ILLUSTRATION:

I am going to pick on the Army this Christmas

The common mistakes of the Army is to confuse an army captain with the Navy Capt.

The Navy Capt. calls up an army officer,

says I am Capt. so-and-so, please call me back when you can.

Too often that army officer will neglect that Navy Capt.,

until he gets a nasty gram and realizes that a captain in the Navy is equivalent to a colonel in the Army.

Many times in life,

our priorities are set based on who someone is.

An army officer might ignore an army captain,

but he will regret ignoring a Navy Capt.

In many ways it's that way with Jesus.

Certainly every life is precious,

but at the same time many babies are born.

Why do we celebrate this one?

Why does this one demand our attention?

Because of who he is.

(ESV)

1) The Godship of the Word

The Word Became Flesh

This text teaches us that –

a) He was before the universe was created.

Jesus pre-existed the

creation of the stars,

and the forming of the ocean...

He preexisted everything that was made.

(ESV)

1) The Godship of the Word

b) He Existed in the Presence of God.

What this passage teaches is that alongside the God the father,

was the Word.

To be with God is to have a close relationship with God.

One of the reasons Israel Knew that the Lord was there God was

because the glory cloud was in the camp.

God's presence with Israel assured them that they had a relationship with God.

Joshua 1:9 ESV

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The Word was in close fellowship with God.

The word was in close fellowship with God.

Now the next point

- We can almost build a case for it without John saying that the Word was God.

If the word preexisted creation,

and was in close relationship with God,

… Then you would have to conclude that the word is God.

c) He was and is God.

(ESV)

1) The Godship of the Word

Jesus was neither a good person nor a crazy man… Jesus was God.

CAVEAT:

Not a God like Jehovah's Witnesses's say,

this text clearly communicates that he was the God.

None of us preexisted.

None of us had a close relationship with God before Christ.

And thirdly, none of us created all things.

d) He created all things.

(ESV)

1) The Godship of the Word

The word being preexistent,

was there at the beginning of time,

and caused everything to come in existence.

John so emphasizes his point

that he positively says everything was made by the Word,

but negatively nothing was made without God.

It is the strongest way to say that God created it all.

So I ask you,

Why do we celebrate this one?

Why does this one demand our attention?

Because of who he is.

He is God,

the one who created it all.

Now were going to jump down to verse 14.

Because John pauses describing the “Word”, until verse 14.

The word that was with God from the beginning,

who created all things,

and is God

– became flesh.

What an amazing story?

God, who created everything, became flesh.

Will

Why do we need Jesus at the center of our Christmas?

2nd Reason, Because

2) The Word (God) Became Flesh - the Reason Jesus Amazes Us. ()

I can't think of a boulder statement then this.

God.

The eternal one.

The one who created the world with his very words.

The self existent one. We call him the great I am.

The Almighty who parted the Red Sea.

>>>>Took on flesh.

(ESV)

2) The Word (God) Became Flesh

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.

a) He Became Flesh.

b) He Dwelt Among Us.

As I consider it parallel to this, I cannot think of anything that comes close.

We have a president who rose from poverty into presidency – humble Abe.

But I cannot think of a president who gave up his office to become poor and common.

Yet here we hear the one who created it all… Takes on flesh and dwells among humanity.

The creator who spoke the world into existence, became a helpless baby, in the home of the Carpenter.

The creator who spoke the world into existence,

became a helpless baby,

in the home of the Carpenter.

When I think of the amazing reality that God took on flesh – I can't help but think of .

Psalm 8:3–4 ESV

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

What David is saying here,

when we consider creation we should be amazed that God even pays attention to us.

Now consider the contrast of what John says,

the creator took on flesh and dwelt among us.

Not only did he dwell among us but we beheld his glory as he dwelt among us.

c) He Showed God’s Glory to us.

(ESV)

2) The Word (God) Became Flesh

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.

ILLUSTRATION:

In the Old Testament, nobody had ever seen the face of God.

When God dwelt on Mount Sinai he was shrouded in clouds and lightning.

When God led Israel across the wilderness he dwelt in a pillar of fire by night in a pillar of cloud by day.

When an Israelite wanted to go and worship God and stand in his presence… The closest he could get was to send a priest once a year on the day of atonement into the temple, to sprinkled blood on the altar.

Nobody ever had seen the face of God… Only the works of God.

But what this text tells us is that the “Word” who is God,

took on flesh and dwelt among us,

and thus showed his glory to us.

>>>>>> Particularly the glory of grace and truth.

Why should we make Jesus the center of our Christmas?

Because it is an amazing story of how God took on flesh for us.

But thirdly,

we ought to make Jesus the center of our Christmas because –

3) The Word Brought Truth and Grace - The Reason We Need Jesus. ()

When God dwelt on Mount Sinai he was shrouded in clouds and lightning.

When God led Israel across the wilderness he dwelt in a pillar of fire by night in a cloud by day.

When an Israelite wanted to go and worship God and stand in his presence… The closest he could get was to send a priest once a year on the day of atonement to sprinkled blood on the altar.

Nobody ever seen the face of God… Only the works of God.

But what this text tells us is that the word who is God, took on flesh and dwelt among us, and thus showed his glory to us.

Particularly the glory of grace and truth.

Why should we make Jesus the center of our Christmas?

Because it is an amazing story of how God took on flesh for us.

But thirdly,

we ought to make Jesus the center of our Christmas because – ()

Who can find Grace in the eyes of the Lord?

Not the monk who beats himself twice a day and works among the lepers.

Not the Pharisee who carefully tries to keep every tittle of the law.

Not even David – God's own anointed king.

They all needed the grace found only in the Savior – Jesus Christ our Lord.

Who can find truth?

When Jesus was being questioned by Pontius Pilate,

Pilate said – what is truth?

John 18:37–38 ESV

37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.

John 18:

We need Jesus,

this baby who is God in flesh,

>>>because he gives us grace and truth.

How does he give us grace and truth?

To Begin with

a) He Possess’s Grace and Truth.

(ESV)

3) The Word Brought Truth and Grace

2) The Word (God) Became Flesh

3) The Word Brought Truth and Grace

15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

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.

John described Jesus here as being full of grace and truth.

From a language standpoint that means he's filled up with grace and truth.

From an apologetic stand point that means he is the source of grace and truth.

But further, He not only possess Truth and grace, But

b) We Receive Truth And Grace From Him.

(ESV)

3) The Word Brought Truth and Grace

From one grace covering to another grace covering– We receive grace is through Jesus Christ.

c) He Makes the True God Known to Us.

While the law brought condemnation, grace and truth came from Jesus Christ.

Consider how Jesus brings us grace!

John 1:29 ESV

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 3:16 ESV

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

John 4:13–14 ESV

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus gives us grace upon grace.

Now Consider how Jesus brings us truth!

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 8:31–32 ESV

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Through Jesus Christ we receive the grace and truth that we need.

The Sad part of Christmas is there a day when the lost will burn in the Lake of Fire.

The good news about Christmas is that we can find grace and truth if we believe in Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION:

So why should Jesus Christ be the center of our Christmas?

To say it another way, can I have Christmas without Christ?

Yet John here makes it very clear >>>> why we need Jesus to be the center of our Christmas.

Why Jesus even as a baby being born is worth our time and devotion.

We need Jesus at the center of our Christmas because-

He is God - the reason he matters.

He became flesh - the reason he amazes us.

And he gives us grace and truth – the reason we need him.

As we finish out the last few days here before Christmas,

let me challenge you to focus your heart and your minds upon Jesus.

Jesus must be the center of your Christmas if we are to truly celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

And as I say that I recognize that many of you probably do that.

>>>>> So my challenge for you is to go from one glory to another glory in your worship Christ.

So my challenge for you is to go from one glory to another glory in your worship Christ.

Don't make Jesus a check in the box of your holiday tradition,

but an awe and wonder of your heart.

I hope you read the promises about Jesus with a bit of awe.

I hope you read the accounts of the birth of Jesus in Matthew, Luke, and John – and or amazed.

I hope you remember the Christmas story and are comforted by the grace and truth found in Jesus Christ.

In many ways our lives should be lived out in worship and all Christmas every day, maybe a Christmas especially though our hearts and minds to worship the baby Jesus.

May Christmas be mostly about our heart, soul, and mind worshiping our God who becomes flesh.... to take away the sins of the World.

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