This past Sunday our Community Life & Children’s Pastor Jolene Christensen brought a great teaching to us about Jesus; “God with Us.” Jesus, who is The Word, existed co-equal with God before anything else came into being, became flesh—a human being. This is the most concise statement of the Incarnation. He did not just appear to be a man; He became one. Yet He maintained His full deity. Emmanuel! Jesus literally lived among His disciples. The Greek word eskenosen, translated dwelt or lived, is related to skene, meaning tabernacle. As Gods presence dwelt among the Israelites in the tabernacle, so He lived among them in the person of Jesus temporarily. I found it interesting as my further study of the Gospel of John reveals the second largest number of quotations and allusions to the Old Testament in the Gospels after Matthew. And, King Solomon thought it incredible that God would dwell on the earth but that is precisely what He did in Jesus. For the first time, John equated the Word and Jesus, but this is the last reference to The Word in this Gospel. From now on, John referred to the Word by His historical name, Jesus, and to the personal terms Father and Son. As the preexistent Son of God, he was the Creator of the world and the Executor of the will of the Father. As the incarnate Son of God, he exercised in his human existence these same powers and revealed effectively the person of the Father. This is so incredible! God with Us! Merry Christmas Pastor Jon
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 17:44:33 +0000