“Christmas According to John” John 1:14
“And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John does not record the pageantry of Christmas like Matthew and Luke, but he does give us the Christmas narrative in just one verse. What John does is give us the theological significance of the coming of Christ into the world. I will illustrate what I mean in the post. John points out that the “word was made flesh.” This, of course, is about the incarnation, or the infleshment, of the Son of God.” The Good News Bible, which had some success in the late sixties and early seventies, translated this as “the word was made a human being.” While I was not exactly carried away with that particular Bible, I thought that this translation made a vivid point about the word becoming flesh. He was made flesh through the virgin birth, as predicted in Isaiah 7:14. It also stands out that when the word was made flesh, His crib was a manger – a feed trough. The miracle was that God came down to man – period. John points out that He “dwelt among us.” This is a reference to the fact that Jesus lived a normal human existence in a family. The family that Jesus came to was a common family, a carpenter’s family. He lived a common life among common people. This is good news for all of us common people out here, for Jesus indentified with us in His coming. Jesus experienced life in every way, except for sin. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are , yet without sin.” It has to be comfort to us that our Savior understands our struggles. In a parenthetical statement, John informs us that “we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” Of course, we can refer to the great miracles that Jesus performed, such as, walking on water, turning water into wine, healing the infirm, stilling a storm, etc. John, however, along with Peter and James, beheld His glory at the transfiguration. This was not seen by anyone but those three disciples, but it had to be a life-changing experience for them. Thank God that it was recorded in the Gospels for us. What happened there was indescribable, but it did show forth the great glory of Jesus. It is my opinion that what they got a glimpse of was a heavenly vision of the Son of God. No one else has seen Jesus like this, but one day all believers will. John shared with us that Jesus was “full of grace and truth.” In John 14:6, Jesus referred to Himself as “the way, the truth, and the life.” He revealed the truth about God in His teachings that are recorded in the New Testament for us. He revealed the grace of God by His treatment of people, which is also recorded in the New Testament for us. The New Testament makes it plain that Jesus treated all people the same, the rich and the poor. Jesus healed poor people, like Bartimaeus; He healed rich people like Jairus’ daughter, which He actually raised from death. He walked among the poor and the rich. One of His most famous conversions was Zacchaeus, who was a wealthy tax collector. Indeed, Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, was “full of grace and truth.” I understand that we usually think of the Christmas story in terms of shepherds and Wise Men, which Matthew and Luke wrote about, but John, in his usual fashion, got right to the point of who and what the incarnate Son of God was and is. Bro. Joe
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When the Magi visited Jesus, they left three gifts. Just as the star they followed was not accident, the three gifts that they gave were no accident either. They were prophetic of the ministry of Jesus.
I. Gold: a gift for a king. A. The king who created the world. B. The king who loved the world. C. The king who came into the world, not as a king but as a common person. (You can find ample proof texts to back up this point.) II. Frankincense: a gift for a priest.. A. A priest is one who represents God to the people, as the Levitical priests.) B. Jesus is certainly our priest who bridges the gap of sin between us and God. C. Jesus is our High Priest. Hebrews 4:14-16 III. Myrrh: a gift for a sacrifice. A. Jesus came to die for our sins. He was literally given to us out of God's love: John 3:16. B. The shadow of the cross fell across Jesus whole life, for He came to die. C. Philippians 2:5-8 illustrates what Jesus did for us on the cross. Of course, the cross was not the end, only the beginning, for Jesus still reigns as king, still serves as our perfect High Priest, and continues to save by His blood. Let's close out with Paul victorious statement in Philippians 2:9-11. Isn't it interesting that the word came not to kings but shephereds to announce the birth of Christ? Here is what I call the message of the shepherds.
I. Verses 10-11 and 14 - Why did Jesus come? A. Verse 11 - To be our Savior. (See Matthew 1:21) B. Vs. 10a - What would be the results of His coming? 1. "Fear not" - end of fear. 2. "Good news" Gospel - God has come to earth..... 3. "Great joy" John 15:11 C. Vs. 14 - Further results 1. "Glory to God" 2. "Peace" (See Philippians 4:7) II. Verse 10b - Who did Jesus come on behalf of? A. "All people!!!!" 1. Nobody is beyond His grace. 2. Good news for all people, not just Jews, etc. B. God loves all people. 1. He even loves our enemies. 2. He commands us to do the same. C. The message to the shepherds illustrates this, as well Jesus' life. III. Verses 17-18 - What are we supposed to do? A. The shepherds, "made known abroad what they had seen. This is our task too. B. The shepherds simply told what they knew. 1. They only knew what the angels told them. 2. We have the New Testament, literature, teaching and preaching of 2,000 years of Christiand history. But do we tell people about Jesus? C. The people wondered. 1. They still wonder when we tell them about Jesus and they receive Him. 2. There are many, many people around us who do not know Jesus. The message of the shepherds is still alive because Jesus is still alive. It is sti _ The Shepherds Response
(For want of a better title. You could probably do better.) Luke 2:8-18 The focus of the sermon is on vss. 15-18 I. Vss. 15-16 - They found Jesus. (That's where it starts.) You might say that since the angel directed them, they were found by Jesus. II. Vs. 17 - They told others about what they had found. (witnessing) III. Vs. 18 - Others were affected by what they told. (response) __GOD IS A BIG AND GREAT GOD. AND TO THINK HE PUT HIMSELF IN A HUMAN BODY AND CAME TO THIS LITTLE PLANET WHERE WE LIVE REALLY STRETCHES THE MIND. I'M PREACHING ON THAT SUNDAY.
"HE CAME" I. WHO CAME? USING SOME OF THE BIBLE NAMES OF JESUS TO EXPLAIN JUST WHO CAME. II. THE RESPONSE [1] THE JEWISH RACE [2] THE INN KEEPER [3] THE KING [4] THE SHEPHERDS [5] THE WISE MEN III. THE ONE WHO CAME--INVITES THE LOST WORLD TO "COME" TO HIM: MENTIONING SEVERAL OF THE GREAT INVITATIONS IN THE BIBLE. GOD BLESS BROTHER ANDY |
All of these materials are free of charge. There is no copyright on them and you are free to use them as you see fit. I am happy to be of assitance to you in your preaching/teaching minstry.
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