Christmas Season 2017: Hero for All Times

Christmas Season 2017: Hero for All Times

John 1:1-15: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We have been looking at heroes from the Bible over this year. Today we look a little more at the greatest Heroes of all: Jesus. In so many ways “hero” is a word that fails to capture the meaning of who He is.

(Some of) Jesus’ Qualities: 

He is Eternal. In the beginning was the Word He was there before time with God. That means He is not subject to time, it’s limitations, nor its frustrations.

As a man He sits at God's right hand. As a man He remains in your time. As a man, the only man to do so, He also sees heaven's perspective. He is able to move between heaven and earth freely (Exquisite Jesus)

He is God. and the Word was God. If you want to know what God is like to to Jesus. He is Him. This amazing fact is something we struggle to get our heads around. Its what theologians call the hypostatic union - Jesus, fully man, fully God.

The wonder of Christ is that God placed His life into a virgin’s womb.

Luke 1:35: The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 

At this conception we see the Trinity at work.

• Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit will come you: this is the language of empowerment. In both the Old and New Testaments, when the Holy Spirit came “upon” a person, that person spoke anointed words or did mighty works.  Examples include Gideon, Saul, and David (see also Luke 1:35 & Acts 1:8).

• God, the Father. The Power of the Most High will overshadow you: this is a reference to what the Jewish people knew as the Shekinah glory of God. Whilst the word itself does not appear in the Hebrew scriptures, but the evidence is there.

This word, 'overshadow' in the Old Testament sometimes referred to the Shekinah cloud that came down and rested on the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34–35 1 Kings 8:10–11, Ezekiel 10:3–4)

This word 'overshadow' is also used elsewhere in the NT to denote God’s glory. Most notably:  

Jesus' transfiguration in Matthew 17:5 

When the power of the Most High overshadowed Mary, she was unbelievably privileged. Nothing like this ever happened to a human being before. God's Shekinah glory came upon Mary—like His glory came down on the Tabernacle and the Temple in the Old Testament—the glory came upon her to give her a Son. 

This is incredible. How could a sinful human being survive this? 

In the Old Testament we see that God's presence was overpowering, so awesome as to be terrifying and profoundly threatening. When the Law was given on Mount Sinai, there was thunder and lightning and a thick cloud covered the mountain and a sound like a very loud trumpet blast. All the people in the camp trembled (Exodus 19:16f) God told Moses to warn the people not to come near the mountain lest they be destroyed (verse 21) Later, when Moses wanted to see God's glory— God told him that no one could see His face and live. God had to put Moses in a cleft of a rock and cover him with His hand until He passed by—Moses could only see God's back.

It's the same way in the New Testament. Luke tells us that on the Mount of Transfiguration, when the cloud appeared, it enveloped James, Peter and John. It tells us that, "they were afraid as they entered the cloud.” (Luke 9:34).

It was a fearful experience for them. I suspect that they survived only because Jesus was with them. 

But there's a second meaning of 'overshadow' that may shed light on this. 

The term 'overshadow is also used to refer to God's presence in protecting His people. 

The idea being that God comes so close to protect that one is in or under His shadow. 

Psalm 91:1-2: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

• Jesus, the Son: the holy one to be born. Jesus was not passive in this. He had to leave His throne of Glory, His status in Heaven to become one of us. He vested Himself of all He was to become a baby born of a virgin. He left glory to take on the nature of a servant, to carry the image of God purely in the earth, to become the man that would claim back humanity for God (Colossians 1:15; Philippians 2:6-8; 1 Corinthians 15:45-58).

He is Present and Available. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Here’s another mystery: He’s present with us. He made His dwelling this earth that He’d created.

He is the present of Christmas and the presence of Christmas. 

This changes everything. 

Larry King the CNN  talk show host, was once asked who he would like to interview if he could choose from anyone from all of history.  He said, "Jesus Christ."  When asked what he would ask King replied, "I would like to ask Him if He was indeed virgin-born.  The answer to that question would define history for me.” (Exquisite Jesus).  

We’ve got great news for Larry and all of us: He was virgin born and He does define history. 

In fact because Jesus is present He defines history, the present and the future. 

Hebrews 6:8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

He is the constant, ever present Saviour. When everything else is changing and decaying in our world, He is the sustaining power (Colossians 1:16).

Jesus promised the disciples that He would be with them, even until the end of the age. The word age, sometimes wrongly translated "world," is aion in the Greek text. It signifies a period of indefinite length or time in relation to what takes place in that period. It is an all encompassing phrase to describe the time in which the present earth resides, a time that will eventually end as God has planned. It is also a binding statement. Jesus is promising that, although He is about to step outside of time, He is ever present within it. He is the only person to do this (Exquisite Jesus).

Jesus is the only one of the Godhead who has human form, and will continue to have human form forever. He is the only member of the Trinity to have scars, from nails, a crown of thorns, and a spear. When you reach heaven all your scars will be gone for Jesus is the only one who will carry marks of death that God has chosen never to erase. As a man Jesus intercedes for you (Exquisite Jesus).

He is Emmanuel - God with Us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). He has promised to be with us always as His witnesses (Matthew 28:20)

He is Incarnate. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Here is the remarkable truth: He is incarnate. This means He came in human form. Unimpressive to look at. Just like one of us. 

There is something about Jesus that needs to be touched, seen, and experienced. The remoteness of God was removed as in the manger laid the glory of God…full of grace and truth. 

In the middle of our mess He appears. To be seen. To be experienced. Just like God intended He would be seen and experienced.

Psalm 34:8: Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

There is something for the world to see and taste. There is something for the individual to see and taste too.

So what about us? It;S lovely to reflect on some of the qualities of Jesus. 

Here’s the thing: you’re His heroes dispatched into the world be shine His glory. 

He is Eternal and So Are You. You are part of the eternal Church, the Body of Jesus, and as such you represent God’s eternal plan. You have eternal life (John 3:16). You have an eternal perspective that the unsaved cannot have until they meet the eternal God.

He is God and You are His Ambassadors. The very God we profess and worship lives within us:

1 John 4:4: You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

We have been sent out into the world in the same way Jesus was sent by the Father.

Matthew 10:16: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves….

But fret not. In the same way the Holy Spirit, the Shekinah glory, covered and protected Mary, you too have the promise of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16; Acts 1:8).

He is Present and Available, so Influence Too: Jesus described His Church as salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). This means that we are to influence, to change the flavour of what is going on around us. To be light, to show the way to the truth. Salt is hidden. Once dissolved into food or liquid its influence is tasted but not seen. Light is visible. There are times to declare the goodness of God so that people know. Be present and available.

He is Incarnate, so Are You. There is more to being present than just there. We are the Church incarnate. The gospel message is always incarnate. Always touchable, tangible, to be experienced. We are His hands and feet. We are His Body. We are released into the World to make a difference. We are not called to lives of convenience, but conviction (Matthew 5:16).

Wrapping this up:

Be a hero! Be like Jesus to those around you. 

There’s a saying that not all heroes wear capes. Thats’ true. But Heroes sent out by Jesus wear Him:

Galatians 3: 26-27: So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Wear Christ this Christmas season. Be empowered and emboldened by His Spirit. Be Church, church.