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AS MANY AS RECEIVED HIM
John 1:1-13
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All
things were made by him; and without him was not any
thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the
light of men. And the light shineth in darkness;
and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose
name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was
not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the
true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh
into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the
world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God.”
I. Different perspectives on Christmas.
A. Gospel of Mark doesn't mention
birth at all. Jesus is 27.
B. Matthew and Luke give traditional
stories we all know.
C. Gospel of John gives a unique
perspective - from eternity.
1) Jesus was before the "Big
Bang."
2) Jesus came according to the
Father's plan.
II. What Jesus did before he ended up in a
manger.
A. Has always existed as part of
Godhead.
1) Clearest statement in Bible is
found in John 1:1.
2) We know this because Jehovah's
Witnesses, who reject diety
of
Jesus, are armed to the teeth on this verse.
3) Not only has Jesus always been
around, but God has always
been
like Jesus. God of whole Bible is
same God.
B. Instrument of creation of world.
C. Visit earth as angel of Lord?
1) Everyone loves angels.
2) Both Time & Newsweek have
special articles on them this week.
III. What we did once he
came here.
A. Those who
should have been closest to him, rejected him.
1) They didn't even recognize
him. 1:10
B. Most of us would not recognize
him, either.
1) We love personalities: People Magazine, Us Magazine.
But they certainly aren't
about people like us.
- Unless you are a lot like
Michael Jackson!
2) At his birth, the only people
who honored Jesus were
blue-collar
workers and foreigners.
3) Would you have gathered at the
manger?
C. It is what is inside that counts.
1) A modern example of
incarnation:
Ted Engstrom
tells the story of Pat Moore. One
day in
May, 1979, Moore, who looked
like she must be eighty-
five years old, opened the
door of her New York
apartment
and stepped nervously into the hall.
She put
her cane out in front of her
and hesitantly felt for
the
first step on the stairs. Her legs
moved gingerly,
awkwardly. One step... two... three... all the way
to
the
twelfth step. So far so good. When she arrived at
the bottom of the stairs, she
saw her landlady who
exclaimed, "Oh, I'm
sorry, I was expecting somebody
else."
"Don't you recognize
me?" asked Pat, her voice strained
and
cracked. "No, ma'am, I don't," said the landlady,
staring
at the frail woman. "I'm Pat Moore," she said
laughing. As she saw her landlady's mouth widen in
disbelief, Pat knew in that
flash of a moment she
passed
the test.
You see, Pat Moore was not
eighty-five years old at
all. Not even close. She was an attractive
twenty-six-
year-old specialist in
industrial design, who was
concerned
about the needs of the aged. At
least once
each week for the next three
years, Pat put on her
masquerade of facial latex
foam, a heavy fabric that
bound her body,
and a convincing gray wig. She
visited
fourteen
states as an old woman. She met
hundreds of
people
who never once discovered her true identity.
Pat Moore wanted to have a first hand experience of
what it
was to be elderly in America.
The journey God made that
first Christmas from the
throne of glory to the stable
in Bethlehem
was that
kind
of journey. He emptied himself, he invaded our
world.
Taken From: Guideposts,
Jan,'84, Pp.2-5.
2) Jesus became one of us, to
save us.
a) He was only on earth a
short while, but he was God in
the
flesh.
IV. Those who receive him have a special
blessing: adoption.
A. What may seem second-rate to us is
mandatory to God.
1) God has no natural-born
children.
a) Not a decision by parents
or ethnic heritage.
b) We can't even make
ourselves children of God.
2) God's children are born
supernaturally.
a) We must become children of
God.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to
fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with
our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs;
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with
him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:14-17
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus.” Gal 3:26
1> Bible refers to
this as being born again.
b) It takes a miracle to be a
Christian.
1> God has to do
it. He opens the way.
2> God offers, we must
accept him.
B. How to receive Jesus as Savior.
1) Barclay on two sons, one with motel-mentality
and other
with
devotion. Become a devoted
child. Do what Dad says.
Accept His Son today by following
your heart and this link;
http://www.asa-ministries.org/accept.html
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