Text: John 1:14

Title: “And the Word Became Flesh”

Subject: The Word becomes flesh

Purpose: To show the truth of the fact of God coming in human flesh

Introduction: "Christmas!" Just the word conjures up memories of bygone years, of hippy tins, of family gatherings! But as I attempt to, set Christmas in its proper perspective this morning, let me now quote from Holy Days; and Holidays, 'Precisely at this season of the year occurred a series of Pagan festivals, closely connected with the civil and social life of the Romans, and from the nature of their observance, easily capable of being spiritualized and made symbolic. This series culminated in the festival of the winter solstice, the birthday of the new sun about to return once more toward the earth. In this feast the transition to the Christian point of view easily presented itself, and hence it came about that in the Christian cycle of holidays Dec. 25 was set to celebrate the birthday of Jesus, the Sun of the spiritual world for the purpose of drawing away Christian people from heathen festiv­ities, and of purifying eventually these heathen customs and ideas.

What is the proper perspective of Christians? Is it to be found in the word Christmas itself, which mans 'Christ's Mass, which represents the continual re-crucifixion of the eternal Son of God by mere men? Or is the proper perspective to be found in the Pagan holiday with which it was immersed in order that Christians could join in the celebration in a 'Christian* tanner? Or is it the birthday of a babe in a manger, roman­ticized by bleating sheep, lowing cattle and solitary shepherds? No, my friend, it is none of these. In fact it has nothing to do with anything that we see around us which is included in the so-called celebration of Christmas! There is not one worldly aspect to His birth, but, instead, it was a supernatural occurrence that will never be repeated again. It was nothing less than the eternal God of glory coming to earth in the flesh!! It was nothing less than the voluntary limitation of the omnipresent God into a body of clay!! Think of it, the eternal God, without beginning or ending, omnipresent (everywhere at once) contained in the flesh of a child held in a mother's lap!!

The coming of God in the flesh.....that, my friend, is the true story of this season. Our finds should not linger on the sentimental portrait of mother and child, but, could we have but looked into that child's eyes, we would have seen the glories of eternity! It is God coming as a man that we should celebrate! It is God allowing Himself to be subject to the cruelties of man that we should celebrate! It is God knowing full well where this journey would take Him, yet voluntarily and with joy, coming to earth to die in our place that we should celebrate!! “And the Word was tide flesh”

Text: Jn l:14 – “And the Word Has Made Flesh” – prayer

I. WHO JESUS WAS (vl-2)

 A. The Word

NOTE: Lets us remember that this might be the last book the apostle John wrote, even later than the book of Revelation. He looks back upon a long life of some 90 years, a long life of considering every facet, attribute and claim of the Lord Jesus Christ. Add to that his vast experience in the Christian faith, and the Holy Spirit of God certainly had a fertile field with which to pen these verses, .... .Now, if you will go back to vl-3, putting parenthesis around v4-13, you will see clearly the continuation of John's beginning thoughts.

1. What Was this "Word^"? (v1a)
 a. It was “in the beginning”

1) Beginning of creation? Yes, but go back

2) Beginning of time? Yes, but go back

3) Beginning of eternity? Yes, but go back

4) In the beginning? Now you've got it!! Gen 1:1 “In the beginning God....
 Ex 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, “'I AM THAT I AM”: and He said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”

Jn 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham Has, I AM.”

b. It was “with God” (vlb)

Note: Notice no argument to “prove” the existence of God, either here or in Gen 1:1. It is simply assumed. Proverbs says, 'The fool has said in his heart, there is no God!"

1) “Was" is a verb of continuous existence

2) “With” speaks of perfect fellowship with God, a plane of equality and intimacy, face to face with each other.

1 Jn 2:1 gives us the sense, “...And if any man sin, we have an advocate (one that stands beside) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteousness."

Note: Let us remember that God is attempting to place before man concepts that are extremely difficult for man to fully grasp. He are not smart enough!

c. It “was God” (v1c)

Note: Notice the article 'the' before Word, and the lack of an article before God. The subject is “the Word', the predicate (a statement made about the subject) is "God."  Other words, “the Word was God"! Not “a” God, but God!

1) Jesus united Himself with the Father in;

Jn 10:30 "I and My Father are One." (in essence)
d. It was “in the beginning with God" (v2)

Jn 17:5 "And now, 0 Father, glorify Thou He with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.”

 e. It was the “Logos” = to put words side by side, to speak

1) The Logos of creation (Jn 1:3 (turn))
 a) Spoke the worlds into existence

2) The Logos of Sinai (Exodus 20).  Summed up in Mark 12:29-31 (turn)

3) The Logos of the Bible
 Jn 14:16-18 (turn)
 Jn 16:13 (turn)

4) The Logos of the heart

Rms 10:17 "So then faith couth by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Rms 10:10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness...,”

Note: We now come to our text:

II. WHAT THE WORD BECAME (v!4a)
 A. Was Made Flesh

1. “Was made” - became (a point in tine verb)

a. Flesh

Note: "Flesh" is your house and is a type of the sin-nature of man. The Word, God, Jesus, became something that He was not— flesh! He did not enter into a man, dwell in a man nor fill a man, He became a man!! The God-man! 100% God and 100% man!

Rms 8:3 "...God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,...”

Luke 2:7 "And she (Mary) brought forth her firstborn son,..”

3. But how did Jesus escape the sin-nature?
 a. No earthly father
 b. Conception by the Holy Spirit
 c. Superintendancy of God in development

Hebrews 10:5 “Wherefore when He (Christ) cometh into the world, He (God) saith, 'Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but body hast Thou prepared Me."

Note. God put on flesh in order that man might see God. Jesus said to Philip, “...Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast though not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father...” What would we know of God were it not for Jesus Christ?

Note: The preexistence of Christ has been plainly stated. Here is the earthly existence of Christ. This is something new!!

III. WHAT THE WORD DID (v14b)

 A. Dwelt Among Us

1. "Dwelt" = to pitch one's tent or tabernacle

a. God dwelt in the wilderness tabernacle among men

Ex 40:33-35 “...So Moses finished the work (of building the tabernacle). And Moses Has not able to enter into the tent (tabernacle) of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon...”
 b. God dwelt in the Temple of Solomon among men

1 Kings 8:10 “And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord"

c. God dwelt among men (our passage)
 d. God dwelt in men

1 Cor 6:19  "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of Sod, and ye are not your own?"

IV. WHY THE WORD DWELT AMONG US (v!4c)

A. So  We (plural) Could Behold His Glory

1. Glory beheld by men (because He dwelt among them)

a. "Shekinah" glory = God has dwelt (means of making known or being known)

1) Tabernacle: Moses could not go in because,

Ex 40:34 "...and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle."

Note: The Shekinah glory cloud led them throughout the wilderness. Cloud covered the glory of God so man would not be consumed.

2) Temple: priests could not minister because
1 Kings 8:11 "...for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.”

b. Christ came to take the Father known or to bring glory to the Father. Christ was God localized in flesh.
 1) Some of Christ's glory was seen on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt 17:l-5 (turn)

3. We are saved to make known (bring glory to) the Father and the Son

B. What kind of Glory did Christ have? (vl4d)

1. The glory that the Father had was that which was given to His only begotten Son. The same in amount and type, only veiled in the Son for man's protection.

2. The glory of the Lord begotten as the Son. Here is the Word, the Father and the Son connected as one and the san

V. WHAT WAS THE COMPOSITION OF THE WORD (v14e)
 A. Full of Grace and Truth

Note: And if we are full of the Word, we too will be full of grace and truth!

i. Full (nothing less)
 a. Grace = unmerited favor

Eph 2:8 “'For by grace are ye saved through faith,...”
1) Enough for every sinner
 b. Truth = without possibility of error

1) Christ is the perfect expression of the truth Speaking of error, Paul told the Ephesians, "But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard Hit, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Him." Eph 4:20-21

Conclusion: We must come to some personal conclusions about Jesus Christ! From John we see that in the beginning was the Word, which Word was God. Therefore this Word is to be our authority in our relationship with Sod. Following John's argument, we find that this Word was made flesh to dwell among us, that we might know the Father's glory. Finally we find that this Word is full of grace and truth. There is no other individual in history that combines all these elements into one Person, the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ! How does this apply to us? Christian friend, we can place our total confidence in this One full of grace and truth for our every need! It does not matter how hard your situation seems to you, God is able!

If you are here this morning without Christ, Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh to the Father, but by Me." You can believe Christ (full of truth), and you can trust Christ (full of grace) to mediate with God, but you mist receive Him as your personal Saviour for salvation. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."