Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
John 1:1-4;9-14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it; 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own peopledid not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
In 1995 there was a song that hit the radio waves entitled One of Us, sung by artist Joan Osborne. The one hit wonder captured the hearts of many in the world at the time as the song became a top 5 hit on multiple charts here in the United States, and became a Top 20 hit across thirteen other countries. If you remember, the song had a unique chorus which asked a rather interesting question: What if God was one of us? There are many people who ponder on that very question to this day.
I have some good news for you this morning my friend: We don’t have to wonder that question anymore because the truth is that God did become man! John 1 tells us that the Word (speaking of Jesus) who was God came and dwelt among us. He did not come in the form of an angel. He did not come in the form of some kind of superhuman; He came as a man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18) and lived on the earth for 33 years. Jesus’ humanity is not just some myth, it was reality. WOW!
The question though is why? Why did Jesus, who the bible talks about was at the right hand of God in Heaven come down to earth? Well the answer is simple yet profound: Because of God’s love for you and I. See Jesus coming to dwell among men was for more than to have a cool story about God coming to walk the earth. His life, death and resurrection has eternal implications for those who trust in Him:
- Man/Woman can be Made Right with God- The Bible says that our sins had separated us from God. The reality is that it doesn’t matter how good of people we are, the truth is that we are far from God. There had to be a payment for such sin and Christ Jesus was the only One who could make the payment. He lived a life without sin and shed His blood on an old rugged cross, then rose from the dead three days later! Whoever believes can be made right with God. They go from enemy to friend. Hallelujah!
- Man/Woman can have a Personal Relationship with God- God came and dwelt among us. In doing so He showed that He was relational in nature. Listen, He came down to earth so that we could have a relationship with Him again. Not only are we in right standing with God, saved from spending forever separated from Him; we enter into a personal relationship with Him. For those who believe in Him, we now have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe. Which by the way starts now. We do not have to wait until eternity to enjoy this personal relationship with Him. We can fellowship with Him now by spending time in prayer and in His word. We can worship Him now with our lips and our lives. He is not distant or aloof, but rather He is near to us and meets us where we are! WOW!
What if God was one of us? Here’s the deal, there is no need to wonder anymore because He was. He came over 2,000 years ago to be our sacrifice so that we could be in personal relationship with Him again. All other faith systems believe that man has to work their way up to reach their god. Christianity states that God in His love came down to us in our mess and our sin so we can be with Him again. Praise God!
Today do you believe? Do you have a relationship with God through Christ? The bible calls for us to repent and believe. If not, I encourage you to place your faith and trust in Jesus. For the believer today, I encourage you to choose to respond by choosing to worship Him, and by choosing to be proactive in reaching out to that friend/neighbor and letting them know this week the Gospel message: That God did become man: He lived, died and rose again because of His love for you.
John 3:16-17- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father Lord, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to come and die for me so that I could have a relationship with you again. Help me to never become too familiar with the Gospel message that I lose the wonder of it. Stir my affections for you more deeply today. Give me the boldness and strength to reach out to others and let them know the Gospel message.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.