The Ultimate Leader 781



Glory in a Face 767

Intro 1) “For it is God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the glory of God

in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6)

2) Have you ever wished you could know

what's going to happen in the future?

a) Could you sometimes make a better decision if you knew that?

b) What if you had the ability to know anything you want to know about the future? The present - the past . . .

c) What if you had unlimited avail-ability to any knowledge you wanted? Omniscience

3) Be anywhere you wanted to be - Omnipresence

4) Do anything you wanted to do - Omnipotence

5) Never would die or be injured or ill. Perfect health forever -

and also had all these (↑) powers Immortality

6) You could answer the debate about creation - because you were there,

because you did it, you spoke it into existence,

you always existed and always shall - Eternal

This describes “deity” prior to becoming flesh

This is what Jesus Christ WAS … HAD

I. “Jesus Christ” did not come from Heaven to Earth

A. Not called “Jesus” till His birth

Mt. 1:21

B. Did not become “Christ” until He was anointed by God

Acts 2:36

C. Scripture teaches that “The Eternal Logos of God” came to dwell among us

1. Jn. 1:1-2

2. vs 14 ...

D. When “The Word” became flesh - He was born as a baby

1. Couldn't be everywhere at once any more …Omnipresence gone

2. Was dependent on parent's care … Omnipotence gone

3. Had to learn in school … Omniscience gone

4. Was subject to sickness and death …Immortality gone

Power had to be given Him, by God through the Holy Spirit –

at His baptism

E. Jesus was dependent on the Father

1. For the miracles He did

a. Acts 2:22

2. For the words He spoke

a. Jn. 12:48-49

3. For the kingdom over which He reigns

a. Acts 2:32-36

II. The Incarnation of God is a Terribly Important Event …

… and That the Word of God became flesh is a really important doctrine

A. Phil. 2:5-8

B. Whether or not your disbelieving friends or relatives

want to acknowledge it …

1. There is a creator of the world … and that creator is God

This is TRUE whether people recognize it or not

2. And … that God became flesh and dwelt among us …

… is TRUE whether people acknowledge it or not

3. This Doctrine is about "Agape" - "Giving" … it's about God's gift to us

Jn 3:16

C. Remembering that gift … and imitating that giver … is important …

It's important this time of year … and every other time of year as well

III. I Know That Christmas Has Always Been a Controversial Subject

A. It's beginnings were laden with non-inspired traditions and Pagan Roots

B. It's placement on the calendar is known to be far from Christ's actual birth

C. Fanciful, sentimental fables and legends have been attached to the season

D. Throughout the centuries … the holiday has actually been banned …

… at various times … in various countries … by various peoples …

… for various reasons … It's always been a hot topic …

… whether you're aware of this history or not

E. The traditions we observe today are fairly young … (Gene Autry - 1949)

… going back only a couple of centuries (Clement Clarke Moore - 1823)

F. And even more than all of this …

… the Bible nowhere suggests the observance of such a celebration

IV. And … it's because of this "Lack of Scriptural Authority" … and …

because of this "Checkered History" … that we in the church

don't Force Participation of this Holiday

upon all who gather to worship on the First Day of the Week.

A. We will not force traditional decorations & human rituals upon you here

B. You are free to take it or leave it … in your own home & family

You are free to participate or not … in your own home & family

any way you like … in your own home & family

C. This holiday celebration (along with all its varied traditions & folklore)

is a product of the human mind … though not without some merit …

because it's based upon the Biblical Account of Jesus' birth …

and the Biblical Doctrine of the Incarnation of God

D. And THAT – my friend – is a Terribly Important Event …

… an event worth remembering … and yes … even celebrating

V. Why did He do it? Why did God become flesh and dwell among us?

A. To Experience our Temptations Heb. 2:17-18; 4:14-16

B. To Teach us how to Live I Pet. 2:21

C. To Die for our Sins I Pet. 2:24

VI. The Doctrine of God's Incarnation is About as Important as It Gets!!

A. In John 14:8 … Philip wanted to see God ("and it is enough for us")

B. Perhaps with a smile, Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father"

C. Paul said, "He is the image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15)

D. Again in Heb 1:3 "He is the radiance of God's glory and the exact

representation of His nature"

E. And then … in II Cor 4:6 …

"the light of the glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ"

Concl. 1) In a lowly manger in Bethlehem … that face was seen for the first time

2) The account reads like this:

Luke 2:7-11

3) My Dear Friends … It HAS happened

a. The Word Has Became Flesh

b. God is with us

c. Man was privileged to see God’s glory in a face

4) I love to hear the songs of the season …

… songs about the God I love … and His most gracious gift to us

5) I pray you have a happy and blessed holiday season

6) If you need to come to Jesus this morning …

we encourage you to do so …

while we stand and sing together

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