We must take hold of the powerful truth that the Word became flesh in us. It’s an eternal truth contained in His promises for every believer for His glory.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

This simple truth is perhaps the most powerful captured in the Bible. It speaks of God’s love and of His complex, perfect, and infinitely immeasurable faithfulness and character. As I pondered this a while ago, I felt God explaining it in wonderfully simple imagery. He came down to earth as man, leaving real footprints like each of us. It isn’t a spiritual concept or illustration. His time here was a real, historically measurable event. It’s a supernatural actuality witnessed by countless people and which still impacts the world today. I realised that in coming to earth, Jesus brought heaven with Him. Salvation is the spiritual manifesting in the natural. It’s an eternal doorway that remains open to everyone who believes. The Word became flesh so that all the promises of God could manifest in the lives of His people. The natural has nothing at all to do with it.

The Word became flesh manifests God’s promises.

The most important promise is one traced repeatedly through the Bible in all manner of types, shadows, and symbolism. It appears first when God speaks to the serpent in Eden. Right from the beginning, Father and Son agreed that the Word became flesh. 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us that For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. The entire Bible is a revelation of God’s promises to His people. From the very moment that man stepped into rebellion, He began to give promise after promise of what would be restored and how it would be restored. From that initial moment in Eden, God set into motion His perfect plan to redeem humanity for His glory. This plan focused on doing so through the Living Word of God Himself. This promise is all-encompassing.

It’s pretty mind-boggling when we think about it. Jesus is the core of every single promise of God. He is also the power behind it and the fulfilment of it. To understand this, we can look at the simple truth that God spoke creation into being. Everything was created by the power of God’s spoken Word – Jesus. He thus contains the power not only for creation but also for restoration. A better word here would be resurrection – bringing to life that which is spiritually dead. When the Word became flesh, that was what He brought with Him. He brought new life, full and complete. To reach humanity dead in sin, He had to bring the supernatural to the natural. The promises were already fulfilled, in a sense, because they existed in God. Jesus came to ‘rend the veil’ and make them available in our natural existence.

The Word became flesh has eternal relevance.

Salvation is clearly the culmination of every promise of God. The new, resurrection life of Jesus is now available to everyone who believes. It’s a gift of grace from a loving Father, once we can neither earn or deserve. But there is a deeper, eternal relevance to the truth that the Word became flesh. Every believer will understand and accept the eternal nature of salvation. But what is easily missed is that Jesus’ presence here on earth is far more than simply a one-time historical event. It is a continuous spiritual event. Every single time anyone invites Christ in, the Word is made flesh. Jesus still leaves real, tangible footprints today. Incredibly, He does so through us. When we were saved, the Word became flesh in us. When He did, He brought with Him His eternal resurrection life and every single promise of God in the Bible.

In Jesus, every single need of humanity – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual – is perfectly met. We do not ‘simply’ have Christ in us. We have every promise of God contained in Him. We need to stretch ourselves to fully comprehend this phenomenal truth. If we aren’t living these promises, we should be. They aren’t vague spiritual realities that exist ‘out there’ in the supernatural. They are living and powerful within us. When the Word became flesh in us, so did they. His time on earth was a visible demonstration of this. Then, the Son of God lived with us. Now, He lives in us. This truth means that all the promises that are yea and amen in Him live within us too. What a powerful reflection of God’s grace. He knew that man could never reach beyond the natural so He brought the supernatural to live in us.

The Word became flesh for God’s glory.

The purpose of today’s message is for every believer to grab hold of this powerful truth concerning the promises of God. At the same time, though, we must remember that the Word became flesh for God’s glory. What this means, very simply, is that our focus should be on the God of the promises rather than the promises themselves. We were created for His glory, pure and simple. He did not create us to feel good and have a great life. He created us to bring Him glory through the manifestation and fulfilment of His promises. The reality is that none of these promises are natural. They are all supernatural manifestations of the power and grace of God. When the world sees these promises fulfilled through Christ in us, they see the power and grace of God. They see the perfect revelation of the great I AM.

It stands to reason then, that if we aren’t walking fully in Christ’s resurrection life – not living in all of His promises fulfilled – we diminish God’s glory. That’s a sobering thought, isn’t it? It’s not just a matter of not availing ourselves of all that God has done for us and purchased through the death of His Son. That is a tragedy when we think of the cost and that we’re missing out on all God has given. But diminishing God’s glory is a sobering thought. Aside from robbing ourselves of blessings immeasurable, we rob God of the full glory due to Him. It puts a whole new perspective on how we regard the promises. We must actively seek to live in His promises so that world will see that the Word became flesh. This is how we we can glorify God – worshipful surrender to His eternal will.

Living the full reality of the Word became flesh.

Salvation – the moment when the Word became flesh in us – is three-fold. It is a single event that happened at a historical moment in time. It’s an eternal, supernatural event. The full measure of salvation existed from the beginning and will remain at the end, and all of it is manifested in us even though we may not yet live it to the full. Finally, it’s ongoing. We ‘work out’ our salvation. We are ‘continually saved’ as we appropriate each promise and learn to walk in it. It’s an unfolding work of manifesting that which already exists. The truth is that we will work out our salvation until the last moment we leave this earth. We’re human. We fall, we fail, we backslide, and we sin. Each time, we stand up in faith and begin anew. It’s therefore no condemnation that we don’t yet live in the promises of God.

We don’t diminish God’s glory when we desire and are willing to do so but have still to learn. He knows our hearts and our weakness. That’s why Jesus lives in us rather than paying us a single visit to welcome us into the kingdom. He doesn’t leave us to our own efforts but lives in us to release His resurrection life measure by measure. Each victory brings more glory to God. Our willing, surrendered hearts bring glory to God which He will grow through each one of us according to our own pace. That’s the relevance in the truth that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. We diminish God’s glory when we aren’t willing, when we accept the lie that the promises are out of our reach, or that God somehow has some things for some people and less for others.

The Word became flesh through desire and obedience.

We can look at Mary for a wonderful revelation of the way the Word became flesh. Mary was, to all intents and purposes, you and I. What set her apart was her desire to be obedient and her willingness to be obedient, no matter what the cost to herself. She lived to be a vessel for God’s glory. This is the only ‘criteria’ that equips us to receive every promise of God through the resurrection life of Christ. We must desire that His glory be revealed and be willing to give our lives to reveal it. God doesn’t look for those who are good or clever or special in some way. He searches our hearts for those who desire His glory. We can live the supernatural, eternal, powerful truth that the Word became flesh, no matter who or what we are.

Lord, we stand amazed when we consider that Your ways are eternal, powerful, and perfect. We are so grateful that You leave nothing to chance, that the Word became flesh in person and in us. Give us a new heart and spirit today, one which desires Your glory above all else. Stir up in us a desire to live each and every promise of the resurrection life of Jesus in us, not for our own benefit but so that You can reveal Your glory to the world through us. You deserve nothing less than our all. Help us to yield it with willing and joyful hearts. Help us to be Your footprints so the world may come to follow You.