HEAVEN
TOUCHES
EARTH
His Life Ministries
December 2024 Series
Main Text:
John 1:14 NLT
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
Sermon Overview:
It is Christmas time again!
It is a time of the year when people cannot help but be happy and enthusiastic.
A huge smile is displayed on someone’s face when thinking about the possibility of receiving a gift or seeing an old face one has not seen for a couple of years. Indeed, it cannot be denied that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.
However, while most people are looking forward and thinking about how to celebrate this joyous season, we should never fail to assess to avoid swaying by the world’s traditions and customs when the Christmas season comes. And while the Bible does not teach explicitly the exact date of the Savior’s birth, we observe this season in the premise of Christian faith - the fulfillment of the Promise, the coming of the Messiah, the birth of the Savior. But then, one question must be answered correctly: HAVE we lost the essence of this joyous season?
So, this year’s Christmas series, HEAVEN TOUCHES EARTH, aims to rediscover the essence of Christmas. Through this sermon series, we will dig deep to appreciate John's words in his epistles: AND THE WORD BECAME HUMAN AND MADE HIS HOME AMONG US.
DECEMBER 08, 2024
Kick Off
Birthday Sunday
HEAVEN TOUCHES EARTH: Rediscovering the Essence of Christmas
Verse:
John 1:14a
So the Word became human
The apostle John described the stepping out, "So the Word became human and made his home among us.
He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son." (John 1:14 NLT). This verse is the climax of John's prologue as John completes his introduction of Jesus by proclaiming His humanity amid His divinity. This verse contains the truth behind the story of the angels, shepherds, the Wise Men, and the journey to Bethlehem that first Christmas morning.
Without this verse, the rest of the story has no meaning.
John 1:14 tells us what happened 2000 years ago and what it means today.
The keywords are grace and truth.
We often say that Jesus is God.
That is true. But here's an incredible statement: God became Jesus of Nazareth! When he stepped out, Jesus Christ became the visible expression of the invisible God. He became a visual aid, as it were, to reveal the nature of the Father. He was God in a suit of flesh.
He was God expressing himself in a language that we could understand.
He was God announcing to the world:
"I have come! "When Jesus stepped out, the infinite God took on the form of a tiny unborn baby boy. The Son did not cease to be God when he became a man. He added humanity, but he did not subtract deity. He was God and fully the God-man.
The Almightyness of God moved in a human arm. The love of God now beats in a human heart. The wisdom of God now spoke from human lips. The mercy of God reached forth from human hands. Jesus was God wrapped in human flesh.
What does all of this mean for us?
The fact that Jesus came, stepped out, and was God in human flesh has several implications. Jesus is here; Jesus wants to be involved; Jesus identifies with our pain; Jesus offers GRACE.
DECEMBER 15, 2024
COMMUNION SUNDAY
HEAVEN TOUCHES EARTH:
Inviting Us into His Home
Verse:
John 1:14b
and made his home among us.
The word dwelt means "to pitch a tent," or as military folks call it, "to bivouac," or as theologians define it, "to tabernacle." The Tabernacle was sometimes called the Tent of Meeting because it was the divinely appointed meeting place between God and man. In the same way, but in a much deeper sense, Jesus is where we meet God today.
"Pitching a tent among us" implies that God wants to be on familiar terms with us, close to us, and interact with us a lot. So, Jesus became the Tabernacle, Mediating God's presence to other human beings. Since now Jesus is not only God but God and man, he has a commonality to mediate between the two.
DECEMBER 22, 2024
LIFEGROUP SUNDAY & CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
HEAVEN TOUCHES EARTH: Showing us His Unfailing Love and Faithfulness
Verse: John 1:14c He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.
Jesus came grace upon grace. Grace and truth are seen in Christ, meaning we not only have the truth about God seen in Jesus, but it is also done in an undeservedly kind way. Jesus' ministry was marked by those two aspects: the truth about God and how to live faithfully to God, and grace showed in God’s compassion and love towards broken and sinful people who struggled to walk in holiness and needed forgiveness and love shown in Christ.
God, in his kindness, took on flesh to dwell with his people so they could experience his presence and find forgiveness since he could fully experience humanity in a way that satisfied the demands of the Law and revealed grace and truth to us.
DECEMBER 29, 2024
MISSION SUNDAY
&
YEAR-END SPECIAL
HEAVEN TOUCHES EARTH:
LIVING FOR HIS GLORY
Verse:
John 1:14d
And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
Glory refers to the visible manifestation of God's presence and power.
It carries with it the idea of weight and importance.
When Jesus stepped out and walked on the earth, people could see and gaze upon God's presence shining through Him. They saw the importance of God in their lives. And, just so there was no mistake.
GOD is a MISSIONARY GOD.
HE IS ON A MISSION.
When you look at Jesus, you see God's face. God wants to be seen and known in His Son. When you hear Jesus teach, you hear God teach. When you come to experience Jesus, you experience God.
In Jesus, we see God.
And may this be our GOAL as we move forward to the following year.
We may cultivate a heart to know Jesus more because to know Him more is to understand our Father God in heaven better.
And we may decide to live for
His glory!
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MISSIONS
SUNDAY
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December 24 2024
630pm
🎁
Song
Songs
Dance
READINGS of the Christmas Story
from the Bible
A Skit (probably)
The WORD of God on
Christmas Preaching
Then a Candle Light Event for Renewal Commitment :-) and Dedication ....
Prayer and ReDedication
Receiving The GIFT of Christ:
HOPE LIGHT JOY PEACE
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SUPPLEMENTS from a
THEOLOGIAN
BY Ds. Baltazar A. Niangar, Pastor Emeritus, Th. B., A. B., D. D. (conferred)
The Four Roles of Christ
Text: Isa. 9:6; Phil. 2: 6 - 11
Intro:
The Four Roles of Christ as the God Incarnate is the Greatest Reason for the Unlimited and Limited Atonement! - I Jn. 2: 2; Acts 20 : 28
Thess support the Holiness and the Love of God in His Grace and Mercy. - II Cor. 1: 3
Thess show His Eternal Divine Fatherhood as the Ground of Eternal Salvation rather than His Everlasting Divine Sovereignty, the Guarantee of Everlasting Salvation. - II Cor. 5: 19
Let’s start with . . .
I.
The Greatest Prophet - Deuteronomy 18: 15
A. The Son of God Given from Above more than
Moses - Isa. 9: 6a, Acts 7: 37, Heb. 3: 3
His Deity, our Emmanuel (Jn. 8: 58
The Visible Messiah, the Holy One of Israel
- I Tim.3: 6
The Visible God - He has the Glory of the Father and is full of Grace and truth, the Incarnate God
- Jn. 1: 14
B. The Son Man Born in a Manger in His Humanity /
Manhood more than Jonah - Isa. 9: 6b Dan.
7:13-14.
1. ‘Non Posse Peccare’ for It is impossible for
Him to commit sin but reckoned as the sinner
at Calvary - Heb. 2: 12, 13
2. ‘Kenosis’ of Christ - He divested Himself of
the external Shekinah Glory and exercise of
His Divine Power and received the again
- Phil. 2: 5 - 11
Transition: Not only that Christ is the Greatest
Prophet after Moses but also . . .
II.
The High Priest after Melquisedec - Heb. 7: 3, 17
9: 14: 10: 1 - 12
A. He offered Himself as the sin offering
1. The Scapegoat, Slain / Paschal Lamb of God
during Passover - Heb. 9: 22; Heb. 10; 5 -10
2. The ‘Azazel, the goat sent out into wilderness
carrying our sins away from us - Lev. 16: 10,
16, 26; Ps. 103: 12; Rom. 8: 29 -39
B. He is the Offering High Priest before God
1. The Shepherd of Israel and the Lion of Judah
- Ps. 23
2. The Sanctifying Savior for His chosen
People as the ‘azazel’ goat freed out carrying
their sins to the wilderness - Lev. 16: 10, 16,
26; Heb. 10: 10; I Thess. 5: 23
Transition: Thirdly, Christ is also . . .
III.
The Last Adam - I Cor. 15: 20 -22, 45
A. Representative of all mankind for Unlimited
Atonement - Rom. 5: 12; I Cor. 15: 42 - 50
1. The Appeasement of God’s wrath upon sin
- II Cor. 5: 19
2. The ‘Buying Out’ from the ‘market of sin’ but
left not given freedom - Jn. 8: 32
3. The Covering - the atonement /
‘kaphar’ for sin - Heb. 10: 1, 3
4. The Propitiation for sin. -I John 2:2
5. The Forbearance of Sin. - Rom. 9: 32
B. Redeemer of the Church for Limited Atonement
for (‘Kuriake’ - Acts 20” 28), (true ‘Ekklesia -
Matt. 16: 18; 18: 17), the (true ‘Koinonia - Acts
15: 12 - 14)
1. The Acquittal of some sinners from the
second eternal death and Acceptance before
the Holy and Loving, Gracious Merciful Father -
Lk. 15: 11 - 32
The Buying out of the ‘market of sin and giving of freedom from condemnation for sin - Jn. 8: 34 - 36
The Cleansing of their sin for sanctification - I Jn. 1: 8 -10
The Expiation of their sin - Rom. 3: 24
The Forgiveness of some sinners because of their sin through Christ’ resurrection - I Jn. 1: 9; I Cor. 15: 17, 56, 57
Transition: Lastly . . .
IV.
Christ, the Sovereign King and Lord - I Cor. 12:
A. Over the Whole Creation - Col. 1: 16
The Material Universe - Col. 1: 17
The Moral Universe - Col. 1: 20
B. Over the Whole Church - Col. 1: 18
1. The ‘Kuriake’ - the True Church - some are
rewarded and others losing their rewards
- Acts 20: 28; II Cor. 3: 14 - 16
a. The Triumphant Church in Heaven - Heb.
12: 22
b. The Militant Church - Eph. 6: 10 - 19
2. The ‘Ekklesia’ and ‘Koinonia’ - The Mixed
‘Sheep’ and ‘goats’, the ‘wheat’ and ‘tares’
- Acts 7: 23; Rev. 2, 3
a. The different local churches
- Acts 14: 21 - 23
b. The denominational regional / national
churches - Col. 3: 16; Heb. 10: 19 - 25
Concluding Summary:
The four roles of Christ is seen in four ways . . .
The Greatest Prophet of all even, Moses
The Great High Priest
The Second / Last Adam
The Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords
Personal Questions:
For you, who is the Greatest Prophet?
For you, who is your Greatest High Priest in the Order of Melquisedec?
Are you of Adam or Christ, the Second or the last Adam?
For you, who is your Sovereign King and Lord?
Personal Appeals / Challenges:
Let’s acknowledge Christ the Greatest Prophet of all, even far greater than Moses!
Let’s acknowledge Christ, our High Priest after the Order of Melchisedec!
Let’s be in Christ, the Second Last Adam, not the First Adam!
Let’s have Christ, our Sovereign King and Lord!
