Sermon Tone Analysis

Matthew 1:18-25

"What does this have to do with Christmas?"

Everything! Ezekiel describes in the best way he could, using human language to describe the indescribable-the glory of God.

How do you describe God? Ezekiel did his absolute best.

We get the idea-God is not like man.

Job 9

Job begins his discourse in answer to Bildad's unwise counsel who said "Job, you must be sinning b/c God rewards the righteous."

Job begins vv 1-3, 5-12; 32-33-Job speaks the feeling of a sinful race in the presence of infinite holy God.

There is the chasm fixed between God and man and appears to be unbridgeable.

There is no umpire (daysman) who would impose his will upon both God & man.

No creature is capable of being the referee.

God becomes flesh in order to solve the dilemma that man has faced since the fall of Adam.

Incarnation is critically important to humanity.

So much that it becomes the standard by which we may discern false teachers

1 Jn 4:2-3 If someone denies the incarnation-they deny God and prove they are not really of Him.

Incarnation is a statement of fact.

The Bible never attempts to prove that God became flesh-it merely states "it happened."

It is a truth that is accepted and recorded by writers of the NT as well as the many pagan writers that lived around the 1st C.

They all knew about Jesus even though they differed on who He is.

God is not like man-so He became.

But Why?

Jesus Himself makes 12 direct statements concerning the purposes of His coming including:

Lk 12:49-"to cast fire on the earth" judgment

Lk 12:51- I came not to bring peace but division

Lk 13:7-Came to look for fruit among Israel and individuals

Mt 5: 17- I came to fulfill the law not to abolish it

Mk 1:38-I came to preach

Jn 6:38-I came to do the Father's will

Jn 10:10-I have come that they might have life

Jn 12:27-I came for the hour suffering

Jn 12:46-I come to bring light

These passages and others unfold for us at least 6 reasons—God’s purposes for the birth of Jesus.

1) Born to Die for Sinners

(and to save them from their sin)

Rom 3:23; Rom 6:23

Death is not just physical death-but more importantly spiritual death.

Death involves the separation of the body from the spirit.

Sin brings death but God is pure spirit.

It is impossible for God to die b/c He does not have a body (like Job says-He is not like man).

Heb 10:4 Sacrifices of OT could not take sin away.

Those sacrifices could never get to the root of man's problem which was internal.

The sacrifices of an amoral animal could never deal with man's moral offense against holy God.

That required a greater sacrifice-only one that God Himself could accomplish-So how can God die?

He must become man.

Heb 10:5-10

1 Cor 15:1-4

Alva J. McClain "the goal of Bethlehem was the Place of the Skull.

The mystery of the virgin birth can be read only in the blazing light of Calvary.

The Incarnation of our blessed Lord was the first historic step of the eternal God on His solemn march to the judgment of the Cross."

The manger and the cross are an inseparable link in the chain of God's redemptive purpose.

Now we speak of and celebrate the Incarnation-the human birth God-Man, rightly so.

But we can never leave it at that.

The birth of Jesus does not save sinner.

Preaching the manger is not the power of God unto salvation but the preaching of the cross.

There we see the purpose behind the birth.

God became flesh so He could die and save sinners from their sins.

Jesus understood this as the purpose.

The cross for Him was absolute agony.

See Him in Gethsemane sweating blood, crying out to Father "if possible-any other way to accomplish redemption, let this cup pass from Me, but.

.. " On the cross, He was abandoned by God as the Father turned His back on the Son.

He took upon Himself our sin and bore the full brunt of God's wrath that we deserve.

God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, giving redemption to all who are sanctified (as Heb says).

2) Born to Share His Eternal Life

Jesus has life within Himself (self-existent).

He owes His life to no one and nothing else-Jn 1 :4 "in Him was life."

Jn 11 :25 "I am the resurrection and the life" Jn 14:6 "Way, Truth, Life."

Jesus has life within Himself-as God, that is why, even in His death Jesus is absolutely sovereign-Jn 10:17-18 Jesus has eternal life within Himself.

Eternal life is not a simple matter.

Try defining eternal life.

What is it?

John 3:16;

Is it simply life without end-everlasting?

Or is there quality in addition to quantity Eternal life is defined as "knowing God" 17:3.

It is a deep matter.

Jesus says He came to share His eternal life with men-

But before He can give His life to the sheep He must give it for the sheep.

Obviously a reference to the cross.

How do we receive this eternal life?

What is the way of life for us?

It was the way of death for Christ.

Eternal life-or rather, abundant life is now a possibility because of the birth of Christ.

So you have a line of thought that takes us from the human birth of Jesus to the abundant life we receive from Him-no incarnation, no death upon the cross, no death, no atonement, no atonement, no life-no life no abundant life.

3) Born to Know Human Life from Personal Experience

Only 1 way to have experience-experience.

You can read all the books you want about poverty, investigate actual conditions among the poor, study thousands of cases even become the greatest authority on this sociological condition but until you live in poverty you will never come to know it by experience.

Even God Himself-omniscience (say this with utmost reverence) could not know human life from experience until He became man Himself.

Why did God need to experience human life?

God needs nothing.

He is complete within Himself and lacking nothing.

The need was ours-so God came to meet our needs-2 needs:

A Sympathizer

Hebrews 2:17-18 If humanity was to have any help when we are tempted, God had to experience temptation from the human side so He could be merciful and understanding.

God became our sympathizer-merciful and faithful high priest.

MacArthur "He was hungry, He was thirsty, He was overcome with fatigue, He slept, He was taught, He grew, He loved, He was astonished, He was glad, He was angry, He was indignant, He was sarcastic, He was grieved, He was troubled, He was overcome by future events, He exercised faith, He read Scriptures, He prayed, He sighed in His heart when He saw another man in illness, and He cried when His heart ached."

Jesus felt what we feel-b/c He became like us-fully man.

And so He endured every trial so that He might come to our aid.

A Judge

John 5:22-27

God reserves all judgment for the Son.

Why?