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The Three Most Important Words Of Christmas Series
Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Dec 20, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon expains why the three most important words of Christmas are incarnation, revelation, and celebration.
Christmas in John 1
The Three Most Important Words of Christmas
December 22, 2002
Intro:
A. [Illustration]
The pastor of a small town church sent one of his men to the big city to order a Christmas sign to be hung outside on the door of the church.
The man lost the note, which the pastor gave him that gave the dimensions of the sign and the inscription that was to be printed on it.
So he wired a message to the pastor: “Rush copy of motto and dimensions.”
A new clerk in the Western Union office got the reply and almost fainted.
It read: “Unto us a child is born. Eight feet long, three feet wide.”
B. On this Sunday before Christmas, we continue our series from John 1.
C. Would you please stand with me out of reverence for the reading of the Word of God? [Read John 1:14 and pray]
D. Today I want share with you the three most important words of Christmas; the first is…
I. Incarnation
John 1:14 (NIV), The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV), Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
A. Incarnation simply means “in the flesh.”
1. I have already emphasized in our first three messages from this chapter that “the Word” referred to hear by John the apostle is Jesus.
2. Verses one and two tell us that the Word was there in the beginning with God and the Word was God.
1. Verse 14 tells us that in Bethlehem the Word became flesh.
2. In other words Jesus became a human.
3. Jesus left heaven and all that it means to be God and put on some flesh and became a human.
B. Christmas is not when Christ came into existence, just as the cross is not when He went out of existence.
1. The manger was simply when Christ put on some flesh and the cross is simply when Christ left the flesh.
2. Christ was in heaven before the manger and He is still in existence in heaven after the cross.
3. We have tried to pound this home, but there is another aspect of this God becoming human thing that we need to consider this morning.
C. Hebrews 4 tells us the significance of Christ becoming flesh.
1. This verse tells us that one of the reasons that Christ came in the flesh is so that He could sympathize with us.
2. So that He could understand us.
3. So that He could feel what we feel.
4. So that He could go through what we go through.
5. So that He could experience what we experience.
6. There’s no way that God could understand what it means to be human unless He Himself became human.
7. And Hebrews tells us that now we have the perfect high priest.
8. A high priest is a go-between between God and man.
9. Jesus Christ is our go-between between the Father and us.
10. Jesus Christ is our great high priest.
11. And Hebrews tells us that He is the perfect High Priest because He has experienced what we have experienced.
12. Now you may say, “Wait a minute preacher, I’m a single mother trying to raise three kids on my own and you want to tell me that Jesus has experienced everything I’ve experienced?”
13. Well, Jesus hasn’t been a single mother, but he has experience the same kind of rejection that you have.
14. Jesus has never been a single mother, but He has experienced the same kind of loneliness that you have.
15. Jesus has never been a single mother, but He has suffered the same sufferings that you have.
16. Jesus has never been a single mother, but He has been tempted with the same temptations that you have.
17. Jesus HAS experienced what we have experienced!
18. Jesus CAN empathize with us in our weaknesses!
19. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
20. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
