At Christmas time people remember the birth of Christ and at least for a few days people try to practice kindness towards each other. But to the New Testament believer we do not need Christmas to remind us of these things. We have Christ within, the hope of glory and the Holy Spirit that leads and guides in all our affairs. When Christ was born the Word of God became flesh…and it is still becoming flesh today. Let us consider a few verses in the first chapter of the Gospel of John that will give us clarity regarding the process of the Divine Expression in the earth. Listen to this sermon

The Word Became Flesh
Christmas Message 2006
Andre Pelser

Intro
One of the greatest moments in the history of the world is when the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among men! The Word of God walked around and talked to people! The Word of God touched men and women! The Word of God blessed little children! The Word of God healed the sick and raised the lame and the dead! The Word of God spoke comfort and encouragement to people who faced crisis upon crisis! The Word of God brought hope and love into a troubled world. The Word of God became flesh!

Scripture Reference

John 1:14
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The Greek word for flesh is ‘sarx’ and it refers to meat, flesh stripped of the skin and figuratively it is used to help to separate soul and spirit from the body of man. The carnal part of man’s nature is called flesh. Carnal desires are called fleshly desires.

The Word of God is ‘logos’ and refers to the Divine Expression: God’s thoughts expressed in words. God’s mental capacity computed in a form that we can understand. This is what Jesus became for us: He made God real to us.

In the Old Covenant and the Old Testament (you have to know the difference between the two!) God only spoke to certain individuals like prophets who lived separately from other people. They were the representatives of God in the earth.

In the New Covenant and the New Testament God has allowed ordinary human beings who are believers in Christ and part of a body called a church to enter in through the veil (which is the flesh or the body of Christ) into the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest could enter in with sacrificial blood once per year to offer sacrifices on behalf of the sinful people. If God accepted the sacrifice the High Priest would live; if God rejected the offering the High Priest would die. That is why he had a rope tied around his foot so they could drag him out of there, if they had to.

God made a covenant with Abraham and then Moses wrote the words of God and preserved the five books of Moses for posterity. The prophets and scribes wrote the rest of the Old Testament, explaining God’s dealings with the people of the Old Covenant. When Jesus came that Word became Flesh and when he died, his body became the key for all who believe to enter into a New Covenant that God made with His own Son, Jesus Christ, and the New Testament was written by apostles (not pastors! There is no pastoral epistles, only apostolic epistles! The book of Revelation was not written to Angels with wings but to Apostolos, or sent ones, or apostles if we want to be practical!)
In the New Testament we enter into the New Covenant by Grace through faith whether we are Jews or Greeks or Boertjies! The natural divisions have no say in the matter any longer. God has created a new nation, a holy nation of priests, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people to show the world what it is like to serve and praise a living God that is invisible! It is a joy unspeakable and full of glory!

The way the Word of God dwelt among men is described with the Greek word ‘episkenoo’ giving a picture of putting a tent up! He came for a while, because His earthly tent or body would only be around for about 33 years. Peter refers to his body that had been battered and bruised for the Gospel’s sake as an old tent that has to be folded up one day. But there is Good News! If we believe we shall experience a rebirth: our eternal bodies will rise up out of the old earthly ones and we will live forever in the presence of the Lord. Those who rejected the Gospel will be damned forever and spend their time with the damned, in hell, that was actually prepared only for Satan and his demons.

Skenoo means to occupy or reside and gives a picture of communion and protection. God dwelt with his people in the Old Testament via the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. Today we do not need physical reminders of the Covenant we have with God. In fact they become stumbling blocks to those who really believe, because faith is the substance of things we hope for and the evidence of things we do not see. If we have to see or touch something physical before we can believe we are operating in the sense realm and not by faith. Religion loves to present physical ornaments called idols and relics to people who are bound by religion and have to faith in the unseen God. Superstitious people all over the world are easily fooled by religious sects that tell them to buy relics and blessed artifacts and ornaments from them for protection and prosperity. This is a great delusion and those who preach such things make merchandise out of the Gospel for their own gain.

The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us…

And we beheld his glory the glory of the only begotten of the Father…

Full of grace and truth!

Grace is ‘charitzomai’ and the basic word charis speaks of favour! It is like a student receiving a grant to go and study that does not have to be repaid…it is already paid for. God’s kindness and forgiveness, God’s strength and provision is made available by grace and no one can pay for it…His only begotten Son paid for it with his life! There is no higher bidder than that!

Truth is ‘aleithea’ and speaks of truth that is not concealed but rather revealed. If you join secret organizations you have to be initiated into their secret rites before you can share in their wisdom or secrets to wealth; but Jesus made the secrets of God available to all who believe! He reveals the Truth. His Holy Spirit is given to lead and guide us into all truth and to show us things to come! He came to give us God’s kind of life – a life of faith and a life full of grace and truth!
It is not just Mother Mary that is full grace and truth! It is actually Jesus that is full of grace and truth and He fills us with grace and truth as well! The Catholics have succeeded in making an idol of Mary and I’m sure she would recant it if she were alive today!

John bare witness of him
John 1:15
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

We are called to be His witnesses too. The word witness is ‘marturos’ and we get our word, martyr from it. So many believers were martyred for their faith. They paved the way for us to make us worthy witnesses of the Truth of the Gospel.

The offer of the Gospel is available to all who would believe. The pattern is set:
John 1:12
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

By receiving the Word made flesh you receive powe