The Purpose of the Incarnation

Introduction

During the month of December, we will be preaching a series of Christmas messages. It makes sense during Christmas to preach on Christmas. But many of the sermons we hear often come from the gospels as they should because that is where the story of Christmas is found. This Christmas I would like to look at the doctrine of the incarnation from a passage most of us d not think of: the book of Hebrews. When we talk about the incarnation, we mean Jesus taking on flesh and being born in a manager. And really in our text today, we are asking the question “why did Jesus have to be born on Christmas day?” Why not just come down to earth as he was before? Why not become a powerful angel and show himself to the world? Why was Jesus born that day? Key word is born. Why did he have to get a body? Our main text verse tonight is going to be Hebrews 10:5 “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:” When he came into the world as a baby that day, he was declaring a truth that we all subconsciously didn’t believe. Jesus became a man because sacrifices and good deeds could never save us.

Most people when asked about how a person gets to heaven assume that there is this great cosmic scale and the good things they do are weighted against the bad. As long as they are primarily good, maybe they can make it into heaven. The Jews had slipped into a similar thinking because they misunderstood why God had given them the law. They began to believe that if they just did what the law said, did enough good, and performed certain sacrifices or religious acts, then they would get to go to heaven. But the fact of Jesus birth proves that that is not the answer. If we could save ourselves by doing good, what was the point of Jesus. Why did He have come and be born in a manager? Why did He have to die if we could earn our own salvation? The fact of Christmas itself disproves that we can do enough good to go to heaven.

It is this incorrect thinking that the writer of the book of Hebrews seeks to address.

I. The nature of works salvation

The first thing he discusses is the nature of the law. The law codified the rules that determined whether a person was good or evil right. So most would think that if you kept all the law, you could be good enough to enter heaven. But the author of Hebrews argues that that is not the purpose of the law. According to Hebrews 10:1 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.” The Law is a shadow.

My kids have recently gotten into making shadow puppets on the wall. If you hold your hands just right you can make the shape of a butterfly or a dinosaur. The shapes are cool to look at but one thing is true, if you were to reach out and try to grab that shadow butterfly, you would grab onto nothing. Shadows are not material. In reality they are an optical illusion. In Greek the word for shadow is in the emphatic position, so the author is saying it is just a shadow or merely a shadow. There is no substance to it at all. The first phrase of this verse says that the shadow is the law. The law is really just a reflection of something else; it has no substance in and of itself. The law merely reflects the Holiness of God.

The shadows on the wall can be controlled, changed, formed by changing the position of your hands or the source of light. They are determined by a body that casts the shadow. The second phrase says the law is not the very image- image here does not refer to a picture or television image, but refers to something that has substance.

And here is the problem with the law, because it is a shadow it can never make anyone perfect. The standard for entrance into heaven is perfection Matt 5:20 “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Talking about how hard it is for rich men to be saved the disciples responded by asking Matt 19:25-26 “When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

The law doesn’t make us Holy. It never could it is a shadow that points us to the holiness of God Himself. The law merely reveals that we are not holy, that we are guilty and that it is impossible for us to save ourselves.

II. The Futility of works salvation

The author of Hebrews goes on to explain how we know the law or your good deeds cannot save you.

A. Sacrifices had to be repeated

If their religious performances could have made them perfect, then why did they need to continually bring more and more sacrifices. He mentions this first in vs one with the phrase those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually. The day of atonement, a once a year sacrifice of an innocent, spotless lamb had to repeated over and over again because it could not bring perfection. It was a temporary fix. Hebrews 10:3 “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.” Sins had to be covered over every single year. These sacrifices would temporarily turn God’s wrath away, but they were never permanent.

B. They don’t have the ability to remove sin’s guilt

Hebrews 10:2 “For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.” The sacrifices could temporarily turn away God’s wrath and punishment, but they could not remove guilt. The word atone used for the OT sacrifices literally means to cover over. Its kinda like when you know you have company coming over and the floor is dirty. Some of you, you know you do, just pick up the rug and sweep it under the rug. We know you do because your kids pretend to do it all the time right? But the dirt is still there. It hasn’t been removed; it is just covered up for now so no one sees it. The OT sacrifices could only cover sin. You were still guilty.

Hebrews 10:4 “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” says that these sacrifices could never remove your guilt. Think about it logically, what is so special about a bull or a goat or a lamb or a dove’s blood that makes sins go away. Nothing. They are just animals. The author of Hebrews is arguing that these things could never take away sins because it was impossible.

We don’t offer animals blood anymore so lets take this into today’s culture. Many assume that good things outweigh the bad. Almost as if the good erases the bad. Just for illustration imagine if you will that Adolf Hitler had survived the war and immediately feeling bad about what he did decided to join a monetary and take care of the sick every day for the rest of his life. Would that erase everything bad that he had done in the past? It might make us pity him a little more, maybe some would even have mercy on him, but it would never bring back the lives of those he killed. It would never restore all the lives that were destroyed. It would never bring peace to those who were tormented by memories of the holocaust. It would never remove his guilt. It doesn’t work that way.

To use another illustration imagine a guy was speeding down the highway and hit and killed a kid. Should we let him go because he offers to pay a million dollars to charity? No, not only would it not work, but it would unjust, wrong to do so. Performing rituals: going to church, getting baptized, giving money, helping the poor can never erase the wrongs that we have done.

C. God didn’t desire sacrifices to atone for sin

Verses 5-7 are a quote from the book of Psalm 40:6-8. Jesus’ incarnation declares that God never desired these sacrifices to atone for sin. He never was pleased by the death of innocent animals. God had a different plan for the redemption of mankind and that plan is hinted at in these verses: a body hast thou prepared me- instead of these sacrifices someone else is being given a body which will be the sacrifice. I come… to do thy will, O God. this person whoever he is would completely keep all of God’s commands and be completely perfect. The body that was prepared, that would do the will of God was the tiny infant Jesus born in a manger in Bethlehem. This body, the christ child, would grow up and sacrifice himself on a cross for the sins of you and me. The death of animals doesn’t bring God pleasure. He is not a sadistic god who loves blood. Animals never could take away our sins even in the OT. We know this because the Psalm the author is quoting comes from the OT.

God knew that the only hope man had of salvation was himself. Remember Matt 19:26 “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” God taking on human flesh, being born in a manger and sacrificing Himself for the sins of mankind was the only hope mankind had and that was the sacrifice that God desired. It is for this reason Jesus was born a baby child. It is for this reason he did not come as a spirit or an angel or even an animal.

III. The Effectiveness of Jesus’ sacrifice

Contrary to the sacrifices of the OT, the physical, bodily death of Jesus on the cross was effective. It was able to do something. It wasn’t just a shadow. It wasn’t powerless. The following verses tell us what this bodily sacrifice accomplished:

A. the law is removed

Hebrews 10:9 “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.” The first here refers to the OT sacrifices. They were the sacrifices that came before hand. They were also the first ones mentioned by the author of Hebrews. The word “take away” means to “do away with, end, terminate” The point of the law according to Galatians was to bring us to Christ. Gal 3:24-26 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” All the law could accomplish was condemnation, as a believer in Jesus Christ, I have been declared innocent on the basis of the blood of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” All the guilt that the law puts upon me is erased by the blood of Christ.

B. We are saved

Hebrews 10:10 “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Sanctified here is a complete action. It means we have been made holy. In the eyes of God because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we are just as perfect as He is. This is what we call positional sanctification. Because I am in Christ I am just as righteous as He is in the eyes of God. To illustrate this truth, imagine you had 300,000 in debt that you could never hope to repay, but someone came and deposited their million dollars into your account. When the bank looks at your account, the debt is now paid and you are viewed as having all of that money even though it came from someone else. What Jesus has done on our behalf is so much greater than that. Jesus righteousness is infinite and has been applied to our account; so that now when God looks at our account what He sees is the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

C. Christ’s sacrifice is once for all

According to Hebrews 10:10 “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” not only did Jesus make us just as righteous as He is in the sight of God, He also did it once for all. There is no more sacrifice that is needed. You do not need to do anything else. It is done “once for all time” never to be repeated again. Once you are saved, you do not need Jesus to resave you when you mess up. His sacrifice was a one time deal and it lasts for all time. Unlike the priests who continually stand and offer more sacrifices, Jesus is able to sit down because everything that needed to be done has been done. Hebrews 10:11-12 “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;” VS 14 says that by this one offering he hath perfected for ever.

D. We are given new hearts

Quoting from Jeremiah’s promise of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34 the author teaches that by Jesus death on the cross, the New Covenant has been initiated. One of the results of the New Covenant is that God will give us new hearts. God will write on our hearts and minds his will, his laws. Becoming a Christian means becoming something new. 2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” He has made us new and has given us His Holy Spirit to lead us.

E. God doesn’t remember our sins

Hebrews 10:17 “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”

Sometimes at these local fairs, you have this booth that says find out three things that God cannot do. This verse almost seems to be saying that God forgets our sins. Isn’t that what “remember no more means?” But the word here means to recall to mind. It isn’t that God forgets anything. God chooses not to bring to mind the sins we committed when He thinks about us. When He sees us those are not the thoughts He thinks about us, but it all goes back to the fact that Jesus bodily died for our sins.

F. We no longer have to offer sacrifices

Hebrews 10:18 “Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” There is no more need for sacrifices to be made because Jesus has made the only sacrifice necessary for our salvation.

Conclusion

This is the whole point of the message. Jesus didn’t become a little baby to teach us about being nice to one another. Jesus didn’t become a little baby to teach us about giving to one another. Jesus became a little baby because a physical sacrifice was needed to forgive us of our sins. Jesus was born to die. He became a little baby because we could not save ourselves. He became a little baby because doing good and performing religious activities could never save us. The birth of Jesus Christ declares to us today that we need a savior and that savior is Jesus Christ.