God Came to Earth!

Scripture Text John 1:14-18

Intro: John's gospel tells us the story of the greatest day for all mankind. It was the day that God came to earth to dwell among us and reveal Himself to us.

1. At Christ birth God became flesh (v.14a) John 1:14 (NKJV) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, Jesus was fully God and man.

a. At Christmas the very God of heaven left His glory there and came to earth. No other religion has a God that has done this. God saw our lost condition and in His compassion, love, mercy, and grace decided to come to us in the person of His Holy Son Jesus Christ.

2. At Christ's birth God's glory was revealed to us (John 1:14b-c) and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

  a. Glory refers to Christ’s divine greatness and shining moral splendor. His glory was seen visibly by His disciples and the people who lived in that day. (John 1:14b) The glory of all that God was stood right before them, right in their very presence. They beheld Him with their very own eyes. Jesus Christ, the Man who dwelt among them, was the very glory of God among men. Hebrews 1:3 (NLT) says  “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.”

 b. He was full of grace and truth (John 1:14c) No other word so expresses the depth and richness of the heart and mind of God. Grace means the unmerited favor and blessings of God. Jesus revealed the fullness of God's grace and He was the embodiment of truth. [John 14:6] Jesus came to reveal the truth of God the Father to us, He revealed the truth of who God was, what God expected of us and the only way to Him.

3. John the Baptist bore witness of Christ's birth and His superiority. John 1:15 (NKJV) John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' "

a. John was born to prepare the way for Christ. The words "for He was before me" literally mean first in relation to me. It refers both in relation to time and importance. Jesus Christ was first in time, existing before John. He existed "in the beginning"—before the creation of the earth, and He has existed throughout all eternity. John also declared that Jesus was first in importance. He was first in superiority, Being, Person. He is worshiped of angels. His is the First and the Last, Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.

4. At Christ's birth He brought God's fullness and grace to mankind. John 1:16-17 (NKJV) 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

  a. Not by law (John 1:17a) The law of God did not bring us His mercy and grace because no one could perfectly keep God's law. The law was given to lead us to Christ and His forgiveness for our failures. We do not receive Christ's fullness and grace by the law of good works. No one will ever deserve Christ's fullness and grace because of what they do.
  b. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17b) We could never earn God's salvation, it is a gift of His grace and it came through His Holy Son Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus was born, to bring the fullness of God's person and grace to us! When you know Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, you have all of God's fullness and grace in your life. Colossians 2:9-10 (NKJV) ⁹  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; ¹⁰  and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

5. At Christ's birth He revealed God to mankind. John 1:18 (NKJV) No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

The bible tells us no one has ever seen God. Jesus at His birth revealed the Father to us. Jesus came from the "bosom of the Father" (from the deepest part, the most intimate place of God). Jesus told His disciples “he who has seen Me has seen the Father.” [John 14:9] At His birth, Jesus not only proclaimed God to mankind but also He revealed God's truth to mankind, and He revealed the way to God and that way is through Him, only begotten Son of God.
Conclusion: The holiday we celebrate as Christmas means we are celebrating the birth of a Savior sent from God the Father to redeem and save mankind from their sins and to reveal Father God to us. This is the real reason for the Christmas holiday season.

Invitation: Have you taken advantage of Christ's birth? He came to save [you] from the power and penalty of sin. John 1:12 (NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. Have you personally received Him and do you believe in His name? Do you know for sure your eternal destiny? If not, confess your sins to Jesus Christ and ask Him to forgive and save you from hell and for Heaven. Receive Him into your life to take charge of you.