And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 ESV

     Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us.) Matthew 1:23 ESV

     For unto you is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 ESV

     There are times when I just sit and ponder on the Bible. I reflect on the many stories told of days past and of things foretold which are yet to come. One historical event I’ve often pondered is the birth of Jesus, our Messiah, Immanuel….God with us. Wrap your mind around the truth that God, who created everything, became as His created. A man clothed in flesh and his life held with bars of bone. He had a heart beating and blood flowing through his veins. He cried, laughed, felt happiness and sadness. He felt aches, pain, weariness and everything that comes from being flesh. He experienced temptation in every area of life yet did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15) He was a man……..yet totally God.

The Word Became Flesh:
     In the Old Testament God’s word instructed how a person should live. That word was to be a lamp showing the way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 ESV  In the New Testament the word took on flesh and wasn’t just a lamp, but the light of God living every day, displaying how we should live. Jesus walked down the path of servanthood lighting the way and showed generosity, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and how to love, just to mention a few.

Dwelt Among Us:
     To live with us- that is what God chose to do. I have heard a phrase many times that explains it well. It goes like this, “He became like us, so that we might become like Him.” Jesus lived a perfect life in absolutely every way and never sinned. We will never be perfect in ourselves, but Jesus made it possible for us to be as He is…. without sin. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV …… He lived with purpose and died on purpose for our sins. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have beed healed. 1 Peter 2:24 ESV  Living righteous is made possible in Jesus Christ through faith. It is not faith in our own righteousness but faith in the one who made it possible for us to live right before God. (Romans 1:16-17) The righteous shall live by faith. Romans 1:17b ESV

Seen His Glory:
     We read about heaven’s spender and glory which one day, as Christians, we will see. The earth, which God created, received a glimpse of heaven’s glory when God sent Himself in His Son. The world in general was unaware that God had become flesh the night that He was born. Shepherds were the only ones that came to witness the birth of the Savior. This is how they received notice of His birth. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHONE AROUND THEM. Luke 2:9 ESV ……. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:14 ESV

Full Of Grace and Truth:
     This is why Jesus came: so that we might experience God’s grace and truth. For by GRACE you have been saved through faith. And it is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV  And that we might experience truth. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.” John 8:31-32 ESV  All the days that Jesus lived in the flesh he gave grace and taught truth…. Grace to the repentant sinner and truth to all who would hear.

     This message has never changed from the time it came to be a reality to the present day. Hebrews 13: 8 (ESV) teaches us that Jesus  Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. God made possible the redemption of man to himself by sending His Son to be…. The lamb of God which takes away sin of the world. John 1:29 ESV  From a manger to a cross, from a cross to a grave, from a grave to the sky, Jesus… God… did what we could never do. Defeated sin and death and overcame the world that Satan would make you believe is hopeless. Jesus came and is coming again just as He promised. Remember, God made it possible for us to be more than conquerers in Christ Jesus. (All of Romans 8 but specifically verse 37) So until he comes, let us be waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13 ESV

Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David