Page 12 - Back to Bethlehem

the world. Ephesians 4:18, “…being darkened in their
understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the
ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their
heart…” Man was excluded from the life of God. What in the
beginning was a wonderful plan, that man would reflect Christ,
has now been destroyed; that unique part, the image of God, the
life of God. Are we surprised that man now lives like the
animals? That’s why. They are separated from what makes man
a man. He fell from humanity.

I want to show you Christ as the last Adam. We begin
with the Christmas story but I want to get to the heart of it. It’s
not the virgin birth. It’s not the star in the sky. It’s not the Wise
Men. It’s not the murder of all those little babies. It’s not the
shepherds. It’s not the announcement of the angels. It’s not the
five Christmas songs that we have in the New Testament. It’s
not even His titles; Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, or Seed of David. When you look in the
manger you see God starting over with Adam; not just a baby but
Emmanuel. Do you know what Emmanuel means? It means
“God with us”. This is man as God intended man to be. God is
back in the man! He’s the God-man. The Lord Jesus is God with
us!

So, now God says, “Let me show you what it looks like
to be a man as I planned man to be.” Man had lost his connection,
his union with God. So, God sent His Son to live as a man as
God intended man to be. I want to show you what that looks like
from the lips of Jesus; His own testimony. This is what it looked
like when Christ lived as God intended man to live.

I want to start with John 17:22&23, “And the glory which
Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one,
just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be
perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send
Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me.” When He
prayed that prayer, He was only hours before going to the cross.
And He’s thanking His Father for the provision that He had to
live on earth. And He describes it saying, “You gave me glory.