“Joy to the World, the Lord is come”

Matthew 1:20-22

l 20 )“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

l 21) She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

l 22 )All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:”

Much is said of Jesus at this time of year, but it is often shallow sentimentalism.

l We turn today to what surely is one of the classic passages on the PERSON and WORK of Christ.

l The truth about Christ, and our deep-down acceptance of that truth; determines everything about us that really matters.

Philippians 2:5-11

l 5) “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

l 6) Who, being in very nature God, did not

consider equality with God something to

be grasped,

l 7) but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

l 8) “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!”

l 9)“Therefore God exalted him to the

highest place and gave him the name

that is above every name,

l 10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

l 11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

l Jesus came to reveal God to Mankind

(IMMANUEL)

l I. Jesus the Revelation of God -- the way to God

The world was lost in sin, and “…. Like the rest, we were by nature the objects of wrath”

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,”

(Ephesians2:3-4)

l When we’ve tried the world a while – we continue to have a great longing for something more … we need the kind of friendship that existed between God and Adam before the “FALL”

l When we consider the nature of God as reveled in the Bible and nature around us, we see one who has;

1) Unlimited POWER

Unlimited WISDOM

Unlimited HOLINESS

2) One who is the CREATER of all things, the SUSTAINER of all things, the KNOWER of all things.

3) One who is ETERNAL, IMMORTAL, and INVISIBLE.

l Indeed, this SUPREME BEING fills the entire universe with His PRESENCE:

Jeremiah 23:23-24

l 23) "Am I only a God nearby,“ declares the

LORD, and not a God far away?

l 24)Can anyone hide in secret places

so that I cannot see him?“ declares the

LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth?“

declares the LORD.”

l The difference between God and man is so great, it ought to overwhelm man with AWE.

l Notice the reflections of David as expressed in the Book of Psalms 139

PSALMS 139: 1-10

l 1) “O LORD, you have searched me

and you know me.

l 2) You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

l 3)You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

l 4) “Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

l 5) You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

l 6) Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

l 7) Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?”

l 8) “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

l 9) If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

l 10) even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

l In the Bible, whenever man came

close to approaching GOD in HIS

GLORY , it was terrifying!

l For example, notice what

happened when God first spoke

to Moses: (EXODUS 3)

Exodus 3:6

l Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

At MOUNT SINAI, the Israelites were likewise terrified:

(EXODUS 20:18-21)

l 18) “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance

l 19) and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die."

l 20) “Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."

l 21) The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.”

l How then can man hope to COMPREHEND God and approach Him in a close relationship during this life?

l This difficulty was experienced and expressed by Job in one of the earliest books of the Bible. Speaking of God, Job said: (Job 9)

(JOB 9:32-33)

l 32) "He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court.

l 33) If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both,”

l What was true in Job’s day (there is no “MEDIATOR”) is no longer true today! Jesus is the means by which man can comprehend God and also approach Him in such a way as to enjoy a loving relationship with Him!

HOW JESUS IS THE

WAY TO GOD

1) Jesus provides THE WAY to GOD, first by helping us to COMPREHEND GOD. This Jesus did by coming to this earth.

(John 1: 18)

“No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known”

2) Jesus is able to “DECLARE”

(MANFIEST) God. He came to this

earth FROM God, and is the only

one who has truly seen Him:

(John 6:46)

“No one has seen the Father except the

one who is from God; only he has seen

the Father.”

l Jesus is able to “DECLARE” God because He is GOD HIMSELF! This John clearly states in the prologue to His gospel: (John 1:1,2) 1) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

l 2) He was with God in the beginning.

(John 1:14)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

l The “WORD” was Jesus! Therefore, it is in seeing Jesus that we are able to comprehend the Father. Just as Jesus told His disciples:

(John 14:7)

“If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

l The apostles of Jesus proclaimed that He was the complete manifestation of God:

(Colossians 2:9)

“ For in Christ all the fullness of the

Deity lives in bodily form,”

l It is in JESUS that God is revealed in terms that mortal, finite man can COMPREHEND and PERSONALLY relate to.

l We see in Jesus and His attributes: POWER

WISDOM

HOLINESS

LOVE

MERCY

DIVINE WRATH

l As we see Jesus, we see God and

His attributes!

3) But Jesus also provides the way to

God by helping us to

APPROACH GOD

l Though Jesus was truly God (as stated by John and Paul,) by becoming man He fully understands our difficulties:

(Hebrews 4:15)

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.”

l With such a wonderful high priest in heaven, One who is both God and has been man, Jesus makes it possible for us to approach God with great confidence:

(Hebrews 4:16)

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

l Through Jesus we can both COMPREHEND GOD and APPROACH GOD, making it possible to have a close relationship with our HEAVENLY FATHER, enjoying all the blessings such a relationship provides!

l There are terms which proclaim a special relationship with our HEAVENLY FATHER

1) (CHILDREN)

(Galatians 3:26)

“You are all sons of God through faith in

Christ Jesus,

2) we are called the “HOUSE” (family) of God

(1 Timothy 3:15)

“if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.”

3) We are called the “TEMPLE” of God (His special dwelling place)

(2 Corinthians 6:16)

“What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

l Other terms might be considered, but these suffice to show that it is possible for those who were once lost in sin to enjoy a NEW, PERSONAL, INTIMATE, and FULFILLING RELATIONSHIP with the Majestic God in heaven!

“… I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)