The Light Has Come

Sunday, December 15^th 2024

John 1:14

Introduction

God Became Man Without Ceasing to be God

The Chalcedonian Creed

Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.

1. God Became Man

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…”

Jesus is literally God made flesh (John 1:14). Jesus was not just a good teacher among many other teachers. He is God.

“Became” - Not "made" but "became." Jesus was not created but was the Creator. Who condescended to become part of His own creation, a thought too profound to fully comprehended by our mind, and yet a truth that can be fully received by our faith.

“Flesh“– Sarx - The Word took on flesh brought about a change that will have eternal repercussions.

“dwelt among us” - In Jesus, God has come to take up residence among his people once again, in a way even more intimate than when he dwelt in the midst of wilderness Israel in the tabernacle (Ex 40:34–35).

1. Without Ceasing to be God

“and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

“seen his glory” - implies an intent contemplative gaze.

“Only” - One of a Kind, One and Only - means that which is the only one of its kind of class or specific relationship and thus is unique or "one and only."

Jesus came with grace and truth, not law and judgment.

“His grace offers love and compassion to guilty sinners. His truth means that He warns of God’s judgment if sinners do not repent and believe in Him. Grace and truth reach their culmination at the Cross, where the truth of God’s holiness and justice was satisfied in the death of the perfect Substitute, so that He now can offer grace to guilty sinners who trust in Jesus. It is only by believing the truth as it is in Jesus that you can experience God’s grace and forgiveness. Since Jesus is full of grace, you can come to Him and know that He will welcome you. Because He is full of truth, you can trust His promises.” Steven Cole

• Conclusion

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us” CS Lewis, Mere Christianity