Some years ago a theologian claimed that the revelation of God in Lord Jesus Christ is partial and incomplete. He said, ‘Lord Jesus presented God a Father but not as a Mother –therefore His unfolding of the Deity lacks universality.’ What nonsense! When we examine the different characteristics of fatherly love and motherly love, we see that the two are blended together perfectly in Lord Jesus Christ. That is to say that Lord Jesus displayed both fatherly and motherly love characteristics very well for everybody to see and behold, He did not demonstrate one and leave the other, No! So there should not be any misunderstanding in this regard. The nature of fatherly love is that it makes demands, establishes clear rules or laws, and takes a firm grip on the one it loves. Motherly love is somewhat different, at its highest level it is unconditional, nurturing, all –protective, and all-enveloping. Our text tells us that in Christ both of these are to be found. He is ‘grace’ and He is ‘truth’. Grace is the motherly characteristic and truth is the fatherly characteristic. In Lord Jesus, the Son, the motherly quality of grace and the fatherly quality of truth come together and are one. When He said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, murdering the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a mother fowl gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused!(Matt 23:37), that was the motherly side of God being demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ. He continued, ‘Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate (abandoned and left destitute of God’s help)’ (Matt 23:37-38), that was the fatherly side of God also being demonstrated at the same time. Love and law meet and combine perfectly in Christ for all love is law and all law is love. Our Lord is at one and the same time both tender and terrible, strict and saving, demanding and delivering. A careful examination of the nature of our Lord Jesus leads us to the firm conclusion that in the incarnate Son of God Christ we see both the Fatherhood and the Motherhood of God being carefully demonstrated all through His ministry on earth, it only take carefulness to be able to figure them out as our Lord Jesus Christ ministered along. This same characteristics is meant to be reflected also by all true sons and daughters of God.

Now let us read John 1:6-14; 6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came to witness, that he might testify of the Light, that all men might believe in it [adhere to it, trust it, and rely upon it] through him. 8 He was not the Light himself, but came that he might bear witness regarding the Light. 9 There it was—the true Light [was then] coming into the world [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person. 10 He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him]. 11 He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own—His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him. 12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— 13 Who owe their birth neither to [a]bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!] 14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.

Sermons on John 1:6-14 often discuss the idea of rebirth, the importance of being a witness to Christ, and the privilege of being a true child of God through rebirth. Rebirth: the word rebirth can be explained in the following sentences below; • John 1:6-14 suggests that people are reborn through Lord Jesus, and when this happens, that they are no longer the same person which they used to be in the world. • People who receive Lord Jesus are given a new life, and a new understanding of the foolishness of sin. People with a new life in Christ now understands the danger of sin and sinning, and as such these people try to life a life free of sin by avoiding sin the best they can. • People who receive Lord Jesus are given a new sensitivity by their indwelling Holy Spirit that allows them to trust and worship God in spirit and in truth. • Being a witness to Christ • People who receive Lord Jesus are called to be witnesses to the light of Christ in a dark world by trying to teach people the Gospel of Christ Jesus. • People who receive Lord Jesus are called to point others to Lord Jesus and testify to His truth and saving Grace. • People who receive Lord Jesus are called to reflect the light of Lord Jesus to an unbelieving world especially through the way they live their life in the midst of people. • Being a child of God • People who receive Lord Jesus are given the privilege of being born not of human will, but of God Himself. • People who receive Lord Jesus are given the power to live abundantly now and receive eternal life with God after earth life. • The Herald and the Heralded - John 1:6-14 “The Greatest Rescue Mission Ever.” That’s the title of our message today, and it ties in very nicely with Christmas because that’s the reason we have Christmas. That’s the reason Lord Jesus was born into this world. It was all a part of God’s rescue mission for mankind on earth. But before we really get into that, we first have to understand why we needed rescue. After all, using the word rescue sounds a little strange if we’re not sure why we need to be rescued. Like if you’re just sitting at home one evening, relaxing and enjoying a movie, and all of a sudden a stranger breaks down your front door and tells you he’s come to rescue you, you’re probably not going to appreciate it very much…because as far as you know, you didn’t have any need of rescue, there was no seeming danger at sight. So it was totally unnecessary for this guy to break down your door and barge into your house the way he did. But let’s imagine the guy as he barged in quickly told you that the whole top section of your house was on fire and you then ran outside and saw it for yourself. Then, things would be a lot different. That guy wouldn’t be an annoyance to you but rather someone to whom you owe a huge debt of gratitude. So before we talk about the great rescue mission that Lord Jesus was seeking to accomplish by being born into the world, we first have to understand what we needed to be rescued from. The Bible teaches that you and I and everyone else in the world are actually in a very desperate situation and sometimes being carried away. You see, we’re guilty of rebelling against God knowingly or unknowingly. God told us not to do certain things, and we’ve done those things. And God told us that we should be doing other things, and we’ve failed to do those things. So both the things we do and the things we don’t do are contrary to what God desires. And this applies to everyone. As the Bible says in Psalm 14:2-3, “2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood, dealt wisely, and sought after God, inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him [of vital necessity]. 3 They are all gone aside, they have all together become filthy; there is none that does good or right, no, not one.” And this rebellion goes all the way down to the core of our being—to our heart. In our hearts, we love ourselves and are devoted to ourselves rather than loving God and being devoted to God. And because of this rebellion, the Bible says that we deserve to be punished, just like any criminal deserves to be punished. And God plans to give us the sentence that we deserve by consigning us to hell for all eternity. You know, it is vital to be aware that hell isn’t something Christians made up in order to scare people into obedience, No! It’s something Lord Jesus Himself taught about on many different occasions, and then He proved that His teachings were true by rising from the dead and not remaining in the grave and promised that He has gained this phenomenon for all humans who will believe in Him. So do you see why our situation is so desperate? This is why we need rescue. Thankfully, however, Lord Jesus accomplished the greatest rescue mission the world has ever known when He entered this world in that lowly Bethlehem manger. It may not have seemed like very much at the time, but it was actually the beginning of a rescue operation of epic proportions. As I mentioned, the main point of this passage is that Lord Jesus accomplished the greatest rescue mission the world has ever known and this accomplishment is still ongoing. And it can be summed up under two headings: what Lord Jesus did and what Lord Jesus offers.

So first we’ll look at what Lord Jesus did, and that’s found in verses 14-18 of John 1. But before we read those verses, let’s set the scene by looking at verses 1-3 John 1:1-3: “In the beginning [before all time] was the Word ([a]Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God [b]Himself. 2 He was present originally with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.” So “the Word” refers to Lord Jesus, and this “Word” was not only “with God,” as it says, but actually “was God.” Think about that. Lord Jesus wasn’t merely like God or almost God or very close to God. He actually was God. He possessed all the glory and all the majesty and all the splendor of God Himself. Then it says that everything in this universe was made through Him. He created it all. He was owner and ruler over it all. That was His status before Bethlehem. Lord Jesus had both infinite glory and unsurpassed supremacy. And yet, look what He did in our main text, John 1:14-18: “14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. 15 John testified about Him and cried out, This was He of Whom I said, He Who comes after me has priority over me, for He was before me. [He takes rank above me, for He existed before I did. He has advanced before me, because He is my Chief.] 16 For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift. 17 For while the Law was given through Moses, grace ([d]unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No man has ever seen God at any time; the only [e]unique Son, or [f]the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known].” The most important part of that passage is the first five words: “and the Word became flesh.” This “Word” who, as we remember from verse 1, was “with God” and “was God,” who possessed such glory and supremacy—this “Word” left behind the glories of His heavenly existence and became one of us. He entered the brokenness of our world. Let that sink in. Just scan over the news headlines on any given day, you’ll instantly be reminded of what a messed-up place this world is—Aleppo, terrorism, hunger, hatred. And yet, Lord Jesus left His heavenly paradise in order to enter this messed-up world. And He didn’t even enter it as a king or some kind of important ruler. He entered it in stunning humility—as a helpless infant in a dirty manger in the backwater (an isolated or peaceful place or a place or situation in which no development or progress is taking place) town of Bethlehem. That’s what we celebrate on Christmas. And don’t forget that the Bethlehem manger was only one stop on the way to Lord Jesus’ ultimate destination. The reason He was born in Bethlehem was so that, one day, He could die in Jerusalem—on a cross, as a sacrifice for our sins. You see, by dying on the cross, Lord Jesus took upon Himself the punishment for sin we deserved. Remember, we had rebelled against God. But God loved us so much that He sent His own Son Jesus to suffer our punishment. And by His death, together with His subsequent resurrection from the dead, Lord Jesus completed His great rescue mission. And we get to enjoy the benefits of that as we turn away from our sins and put our trust in Lord Jesus as our great Rescuer. And the reason Bethlehem was so necessary for all of this to work is because Lord Jesus had to be a real human being in order to pay for the sins of human beings on the cross. You might compare it to the way Congress works. If someone wants to represent the people of Pennsylvania in the United States Congress, what’s one of the requirements for doing that? Among other things, one of the requirements is that they have to live in Pennsylvania. They have to actually be a resident of the state they’re trying to represent. If they’re from Ohio, they’re not allowed to represent us. And in a similar way, in order for Lord Jesus to represent humanity on the cross and serve as our substitute and bear our sins, He had to be a real human being Himself. In the words of verse 14, that’s why it was so important and so necessary for “the Word” to actually become “flesh”—a real, flesh-and-blood human being. We learned why it was so important for Lord Jesus to be God, since only if He was God would His blood have sufficient value to pay for our sins. We learn the corresponding truth that Lord Jesus had to be not only 100% God but also 100% human in order to pay for the sins of humanity on the cross. Now, keep in mind that Lord Jesus didn’t have to do any of this. He was under no obligation to do anything to rescue us. He could have just remained in heaven, aloof from our sorrows and suffering, ignoring our miserable condition. But He didn’t. That’s what “grace” means. It means Lord Jesus did something for us He didn’t have to do—something we didn’t deserve in the least. That’s why verse 14 says that Lord Jesus was “full of grace” and why verse 16 says that “from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” And that’s why Christmas should be such a big celebration but not as we do it this days. It’s the entry point of God’s saving grace into this world. God desired to rescue us from our miserable condition caused by our sins and wrong life style, so He became one of us in order to accomplish that rescue. It reminds me of a story I shared earlier about the two Moravian missionaries from the 1700’s. Perhaps some of you remember it. The story was originally told by Paris Reidhead, a pastor who went to be with the Lord a long time ago. According to Reidhead, “Two young Moravians heard of an island in the West Indies where an atheist British owner had 2000 to 3000 slaves. And the owner had said, ‘No preacher, no clergyman, will ever stay on this island. If he's shipwrecked, we'll keep him in a separate house until he has to leave, but he's never going to talk to any of us about God, I'm through with all that nonsense.’ So 3,000 slaves who had been brought from Africa to an island in the Atlantic were basically doomed not only to toil in the sugar cane fields under the burning sun but to live and die without ever hearing about Christ. But two young Germans in their 20's from the Moravian denomination heard about their plight. And they were willing to do whatever it took to reach these people with the gospel and spread the fame of Lord Jesus. So they voluntarily sold themselves into a lifetime of slavery. And as the rest of the Moravian community came to see the two you men off as they boarded the ship that would take them to their destination, they were all understandably emotional, and there was plenty of weeping, especially from their families. Was their extreme sacrifice wise? Was it necessary? As the ship slipped away with the tide and the gap widened, the young men linked arms, raised their hands and shouted across the spreading gap, ‘May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.’” That’s pretty intense. Those two young men were so burdened for the plight of those slaves on that island, they gained access to them in the only way they were able to. They became slaves themselves. Up to that point, they enjoyed freedom. But they became slaves in order to share the gospel with the slaves and give them hope for eternity. And in a similar way, Lord Jesus left the glories of heaven and became one of us in order to save us. Philippians 2:6-8 says it this way, speaking of Christ: “though He was in the form of God, [He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Just as a lifeguard often has to not only throw out a flotation device but actually jump into the water himself in order to save a person who’s drowning, Lord Jesus understood that He had to enter our world and take on human form in order to save us. And He was willing to do that. Looking back at our main text, in verse 14, notice how it says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory.” What kind of “glory” is John talking about? In what way had John “seen His glory”? I believe he’s talking about the “glory” of Lord Jesus’ humility, the “glory” of His condescension, the “glory” of His love, and ultimately the “glory” of His sacrifice on the cross. That’s the kind of “glory” Lord Jesus possessed during His earthly ministry. Even though the cross would typically be a mark of great shame to such an extent that the Romans would only crucify criminals who came from the rabble of society, the cross was for Lord Jesus a mark of His glory. And indeed it is an indescribable glory—a glory that surpasses any glory we see anywhere else in the world. What Lord Jesus Offers; And because of His glorious condescension and because of His glorious sacrifice, Lord Jesus is able to offer us something we desperately need. I told you we were going to examine Lord Jesus’ rescue mission under two headings. So having looked first at “what Lord Jesus did,” let’s now look at “what Lord Jesus offers.” What Lord Jesus offers. And to see that, we’re actually going to back up in our main text to verses 10-13. Read with me: “10 He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him]. 11 He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own—His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him. 12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— 13 Who owe their birth neither to [a]bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]” Now, as we see in this passage, Lord Jesus offers some incredible blessings that we’ll examine in greater detail in a moment. But first, John describes how not everyone wanted to receive these blessings of a rescuer. Verse 10: even though “10 He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him]. And verse 11: “11 He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own—His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him.” How ironic! Lord Jesus created this world, but most of the world rejected Him. Even most of His own people, the Jewish people, didn’t want to have anything to do with Him. Imagine coming home from a hard day of work and discovering that you’re locked out of your house. Somehow, you had forgotten to bring your house key with you, and you’re locked out. And not only that, but you can see the rest of your family through the window enjoying themselves and having a good time together but motioning for you to go away and leave them alone. And even when you keep knocking and ringing the doorbell, they refuse to let you in. Of course, that will probably never happen to any of us, but that’s what happened to Lord Jesus. He was rejected by those He came to save or rescue. Ultimately, however, it was their loss. They forfeited the blessings they could have enjoyed—specifically, the blessing of salvation, of being rescued. But not everyone rejected Lord Jesus. Verse 12: “12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— “Children of God.” That’s the first way this passage describes what Lord Jesus offers. You see, in our natural condition, we’re cut off from God and from the privileges that come with being in God’s family. Remember: we’re sinful. But through Christ, we can be adopted into God’s family and enjoy perfect love and acceptance as a child of God. You know, it seems like everyone has a natural desire to belong somewhere. We don’t want to feel like an outcast—unloved and unwanted. We’re desperate to belong. That’s a big reason many people buy cars they can barely afford and clothes that are way too expensive. They want to be seen as belonging to a particular group or class of people—namely, a successful group. Others try to fulfill their desire to belong by conforming to the standards of other groups. And there’s a good reason why we have such a strong desire to belong: we were created to belong. That’s the way God wired us. But He created us to belong to a specific group: His family as His own children—loved, welcomed, accepted. However, in order to be a child of God, you have to be born into the family. That’s why verse 13 says, “13 Who owe their birth neither to [a]bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]” describes the “children of God” by saying that they’re children “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” So this isn’t talking about a physical birth. As the verse states, it’s not a birth that originates in the human birthing process or any kind of human decision. It’s a spiritual birth—a kind of rebirth, if you will. And this passage describes it that way because in this birth or rebirth, the person experiences a change within them that’s so radical, it’s as if they’ve been born a second time. They’re a completely different person on the inside. They possess new desires, new priorities, new motives, new goals, and a completely new outlook on life. That’s what it means to be a Christian. That’s what’s entailed in receiving the salvation Lord Jesus offers. It’s about experiencing the most profound kind of change you can imagine—an inward change that reaches all the way to your heart and you begin to see things, know things, understand things according to the Gospel and the Scripture, different from when you are in the world.

A lot of people don’t understand that. They view Christianity as a series of self-help techniques. They think we basically just take certain steps to change ourselves and better ourselves and form new habits and become a better person. But that’s actually the opposite of what the Bible teaches. The Bible helps us see that, in reality, we’re hopelessly polluted with sin and entirely beyond repairing and that our only hope is to experience a new birth that is given by an indwelling Christ in the heart. In the words of verse 13, 13 Who owe their birth neither to [a]bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]” It’s kind of like receiving a spiritual heart transplant. Our old sinful heart is taken out, and we receive a new heart, a heart that loves God and the things of God and longs to live godly. So if your idea of religion merely consists of you trying really hard to measure up to God’s instructions only to fail time and time again and then feel guilty, I want you to know this morning or this day that Lord Jesus is your ticket to freedom from that guilt feeling. In Matthew 11:28-30, Lord Jesus gives an important invitation: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Today, you have the opportunity to let Lord Jesus carry your burden. God never meant for you to be your own Savior. He knows you can’t. He knows we’re no more able to fix ourselves than someone with a failing heart is able to give themselves a heart transplant. That’s why He sent His Son Lord Jesus into this world. That’s the whole reason we have Christmas and Bethlehem and the manger. God was providing someone who could do for you and me what we could never do for ourselves. So let me encourage you not to wait another minute to start trusting Lord Jesus and relying on His merit instead of your own. And maybe you’ve already done that. Well, during Christmas, you have the opportunity to rejoice in Christ anew and afresh. Remind yourself that you don’t have to earn God’s favor or acceptance. You don’t have to maintain a certain level of performance for God to accept you. Instead, you can rest in Christ. Every time you see a nativity scene and every time you hear about Lord Jesus being born, remind yourself that the reason He came was to provide everything that was required for your salvation and life meaningfulness.