[English Sermon 영어 설교]
Christmas, December 25, 2024 - Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn
The Word Became Flesh (John 1:14)
2024. 12. 25. 성탄절 예배 설교
본문: 요한복음 1:14
제목: 말씀이 육신이 되어
설교자: 손진국 목사
Brothers and Sisters, who is the main character of today, Christmas Day? Jesus. God, who sent His only Son to save us, without hesitation. However, many people in the world are celebrating Christmas with no connection to Jesus. They celebrate Christmas in a worldly way.
Example: When asked to elementary school children, “What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Christmas?” The most common responses are: Christmas trees, cards, presents, Santa Claus. But almost no one mentions it is Jesus' birthday—only about 8%.
Adults are no different. Some even go as far as saying, "The devil’s favorite month out of the year is December, and the devil’s favorite day is Christmas, December 25th." Many people forget the true meaning of Christmas and enjoy their pleasures as if they are free to live in indulgence on this day, using all their money as if they have the right to do so, seeking fleshly pleasures, leading to the most immoral activities occurring on this day. So it is no wonder the devil loves Christmas the most.
Dear beloved brothers and sisters, as we celebrate Christmas today, let us once again reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Let this be a time to think about how we can live in a way that truly pleases Jesus.
Today’s passage is from [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 Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The verse begins with “The Word became flesh.” Who is the one who became flesh? Jesus. In other words, Christmas is the event where the Word became flesh. The day that God became man is Christmas, a day we call the Incarnation.
What does this passage teach us?
1. Jesus is human (His humanity)
The Word became flesh means He became human. Why did the Word become flesh? The purpose is that “He made His dwelling among us” – He came to live with us as a human. The word “dwelling” means to “pitch a tent” or to “set up a tabernacle.” When the Israelites left Egypt and passed through the desert, God instructed them to set up a tabernacle where He would live and meet with His people. God’s desire is to be with us. He came in the flesh to meet with us. That is Jesus Christ.
Do you understand that God came in the form of a man? Do you believe that God came as a human? For a long time, I could not believe this. One of the biggest reasons was my belief as an atheist who didn’t recognize God’s existence. But when I was disappointed with myself and was about to end my life, I read the Gospel message and began to believe what I had not believed before. When I acknowledged God’s existence, I could believe in creation and the incarnation.
When God comes to us, amazing things unfold beyond what we can see in this world.
Example—The story of Fukuishige Takashi, a Japanese electronics engineer. He married a Korean woman, and his wife asked him to take her to church, so he went. After listening to the message, one day, Takashi collapsed from a stroke and went into a coma for 21 days. The doctors said he would be in a vegetative state or severely disabled. But after 21 days, Takashi woke up and immediately began telling people, “I met Jesus!” He described how he felt Jesus walking with him, helping him cross rivers three times. He had never read the Bible, but everything he said was from the Scriptures. His wife, for example, once said, “Since Jesus was God, He probably didn’t suffer much.” Takashi, with tearful eyes, responded, “No, He felt pain like I did.”
This is God’s love. Jesus came to save you and me, as a complete human, to die for us.
2. Jesus is God (His divinity)
“The Word became flesh”—When was the Word? [John 1:1] "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Word existed from the beginning. He was not part of the created world. He is the Creator God. [John 1:3] "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." So, who is this Word? Jesus.
Example: When we tell children Christmas is Jesus’ birthday, they sometimes ask, "How old is Jesus?” When I answered, “Jesus has no age," they didn’t quite understand. A simpler answer could be, “Jesus is 2,000 years old, since He was born 2,000 years ago,” but that’s more complicated than it seems. Jesus is the eternal God from eternity past to eternity future.
Why is it important to recognize that Jesus is the Creator? When the disciples shared the Gospel with Jewish people, how did they respond? At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came and they spoke in tongues, many Jews who heard Peter’s message believed. [Acts 2:37] "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’" Later, 3,000 people were baptized and added to their number.
But the response was different when Stephen, the deacon, testified to the Jewish people. [Acts 7:54] "When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him." They were pricked in their hearts, but their reaction was to become enraged and stone him.
Why was their reaction so different? Today, when we preach that Jesus is the Messiah sent by God, most people don’t even feel convicted. People may accept Jesus as one of many gods in their polytheistic belief systems without a second thought. But this is a mistake: a denial of the one true God, the triune Creator. People focus only on Jesus as a man, not as God, which is why they don’t see Him as the Savior of the world.
We must see Jesus not just as a man, but as God.
Example: A farmer in rural England once lent an umbrella to a woman and some people. The umbrella was old and torn. The next day, they sent it back with a thank-you note and signature, “Queen Elizabeth.” The farmer regretted not recognizing who it was.
We should recognize Jesus not just as a man but also as God, our Creator. Let’s confess together with faith: "Jesus is God," "Jesus is the Creator of heaven and earth."
[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 Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
When we see Jesus, we see not just human glory but the glory of the only Son of the Father, the glory of God. This Christmas, I pray that our spiritual eyes are opened to see the glory of God in Jesus.
3. Jesus is now with us (The Presence of Jesus)
In today’s passage, [John 1:14], the apostle John talks about the God who became human and dwelled on this earth, describing the event of the incarnation. However, we come to realize that the incarnation was not just an event that happened 2000 years ago and ended then. In the phrase “dwelt among us,” John is not referring only to the apostles from 2000 years ago but to all believers, including us today. Jesus is with us right now. How can we say this? Because Jesus, who is God, promised it. And He didn’t say it just once, but He emphasized it many times because His followers, both then and after, would struggle to believe it.
[Matthew 28:20] “Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
[Matthew 18:20] “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Also, in John 14, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, to be with us:
[John 14:18-20] “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”
Do you believe that Jesus Christ is in us right now?
Furthermore, Jesus tells us how He is present among us, as we read in [Matthew 25]:
[Matthew 25:34-40] “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
In what form does Jesus appear? As the smallest among us.
(Example): I heard a testimony before I came to believe, and later I heard it again. It was a testimony from Elder Won Jong-soo. He shared a story on YouTube titled “The God I Met”. His mother took a beggar, an old man, into their house and gave him a bath. Then she told him, "Now it’s your turn to scrub his back." One day, Elder Won went back to his hometown and met a beggar in a terminal. He felt sorry for the beggar and gave him all the money he had, thinking, "Why did this person have to be in front of me?" Later, God spoke to him saying, “When I was that beggar in front of you, you gave me your first salary. You were taking care of me at that moment.”
Even today, Jesus is among us. In what form? The smallest among us.
Look to the person beside you. If you thought that person was Jesus, could you speak rudely to them or treat them in a harsh manner?
Jesus is now with us, in the form of the smallest among us. (Look at the person next to you and say: “I will treat you as if you were Jesus.”)
Summary: Jesus came to this earth as a complete human being. And He is also fully God. As He promised, He will be with us until the end of the world. Even right now, He is working in us through the power of the Holy Spirit and is among us in the form of the smallest among us. I pray that we all believe that Jesus Christ came as a man to save us. May this Christmas be a joyful and happy celebration of that truth. And may it be a Christmas where we share God's love and grace, comfort and encourage one another, and offer what we have to those in need, just as we would do for the Lord. I pray this in Jesus' name.
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.