God Became Man
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
We are just 15 days away from Christmas
As we focus today on the upcoming celebration of our Lord’s birth, I would like to give you 3 reminders for Christmas
The first one I am giving to you today
The second one will be next Sunday
And the third on Christmas Eve
The first reminder is “God Became Man”
Will you take God’s Word and turn with me to the Gospel of John chapter one
We are focusing on just one verse but will look at many as we look at this first reminder
The verse I have in mind is verse 14 which says…
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
That one verse gives us the incarnation of Jesus Christ and the truth that “God Became Man”
Every time we think about the incarnation of Jesus, we should think about our redemption
The atonement is the real reason for the Incarnation.
James Montgomery Boice
Without the incarnation there is no atonement for our sins
We are left with no hope
And the only thing we can look forward to is judgment
So when you hear the words here in verse 14, “And the word became flesh,” that ought to cause your heart to leap for joy!
Let’s look closely at verse 14…
John begins verse 14 with “And the Word”
This is the fourth time He uses the word logos which is translated “word”
In John 1:1 he said...
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The “Word” is Yeshua the Messiah Himself whom only John refers to as “the Word”
In Revelation 19:13, John says this “Word”, the Lord Jesus, is coming back and…
13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
R.C. Sproul said...
During the first three centuries, doctrines of the person of Christ focused intensely on His identity as the Logos. In Greek philosophy, the Logos was “reason” or “logic” as an abstract force that brought order and harmony to the universe. But in John’s writings, such qualities of the Logos are gathered in the person of Christ. In Neo-platonic philosophy and the Gnostic heresy (second and third centuries A.D.), the Logos was seen as one of many intermediate powers between God and the world. Such notions are far removed from the simplicity of John’s gospel.
So……
New Testament 1:1–18—The Word Becomes Flesh
By calling Jesus “the Word,” John calls him the embodiment of all God’s revelation in the Scriptures
The “word” of the Lord was a significant OT theme, well-known to the Jews
The Deity of Christ The Preexistence of the Word
The word of the Lord was the expression of divine power and wisdom. By speaking His word, God introduced the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 15:1), gave Israel the Ten Commandments (Ex. 24:3–4; Deut. 5:5; cf. Ex. 34:28; Deut. 9:10), attended the building of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6:11–13), revealed God to Samuel (1 Sam. 3:21), pronounced judgment on the house of Eli (1 Kings 2:27), counseled Elijah (1 Kings 19:9ff.), directed Israel through God’s spokesmen (cf. 1 Sam. 15:10; 2 Sam. 7:4ff.; 24:11ff.; 1 Kings 16:1–4; 17:2ff., 8ff.; 18:1; 21:17–18; 2 Chron. 11:2–4), was the agent of creation (Ps. 33:6), and revealed Scripture to many of the prophets, from Jeremiah to Malachi.2
The apostle John presented Jesus to his Jewish readers as the incarnation of divine power and revelation. From John we learn that Jesus reveals God to man (John 1:18; 14:7–9), judges those who reject Him (John 3:18; 5:22), is the agent of creation (John 1:3; cf. Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2), and will inspire the Scripture penned by the New Testament writers (John 14:26) through the Holy Spirit whom He promises to send (John 15:26).
Let’s look at the manifestation of the Word, the Lord Jesus at His incarnation by looking 3 facts that emerge out of this text
The text begins with…
I. The Word Became Flesh (v.14a)
I. The Word Became Flesh (v.14a)
This is the central miracle in John 1:14.
Why? As I have already stated, “the incarnation made it possible for Jesus Christ to die” (James Montgomery Boice)
Without the incarnation, there is no death
If there is no death, then there is no atonement for our sins
We are then left to our sins and their consequences
We are also left to their damnation
To become flesh means several things…
First…
He was Born
He was Born
1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.
2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,
5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
He was born the same way all people are born…of a woman, though His conception was conceived in a virgin by the Holy Spirit.
700 years before this event, Isaiah 7:14 said:
14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
Matthew quotes this verse and tells us what Immanuel means, Matthew 1:23 says...
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
Isaiah identifies this Child as “God becoming man”, Isaiah 9:6
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
In his birth...
He Had a Body
He Had a Body
5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,
“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,
But a body You have prepared for Me;
This is a quotation of Psalm 40:6-8.
10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—
2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Peter tells us he died in the flesh
18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
The incarnation includes the understanding that...
He Had Human Characteristics
He Had Human Characteristics
He grew mentally and physically
52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
He became weary
1 Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John
2 (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were),
3 He left Judea and went away again into Galilee.
4 And He had to pass through Samaria.
5 So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;
6 and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
He became thirsty
7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
He became angry
14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.
15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;
16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”
17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.”
He became hungry
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
He slept
24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep.
He became sad
At the tomb of Lazarus, John 11:35 says...
35 Jesus wept.
He was tempted
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
He suffered
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
He died
30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
The next truth John gives is…
II. The Word Dwelt Among Us (v.14b)
II. The Word Dwelt Among Us (v.14b)
That means…
He Grew Up
He Grew Up
40 The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast;
43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it,
44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
It also means…
He Lived Among Us
He Lived Among Us
55 “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
10 “Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the Lord.
Not only did He live among us but…
He Called On People to Follow Him
He Called On People to Follow Him
Matthew - Matthew 9:9
9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
Peter - John 21:22
22 Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
His disciples - Matthew 16:21
21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.
The Rich Young Ruler - Matthew 19:21
21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
The crowd - Luke 9:23
23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Before we leave this thought, let’s think about one more…
He Referred to Himself as the Son of Man
He Referred to Himself as the Son of Man
He used this term 80 times
R.C. Sproul says…
John Chapter 1: The Prologue (John 1:1–18)
When Jesus called Himself the Son of Man in front of Jewish people of the first century, they understood that He was identifying Himself with that person who was defined and described in the Old Testament book of Daniel as a heavenly being who comes from the very throne of God on a mission to judge the world (Dan. 7:13ff.).
13 “I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
The last fact that we see is...
III. We Saw His Glory (v.14c)
III. We Saw His Glory (v.14c)
His Glory was on Display
His Glory was on Display
When He turned water into wine
11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
At the tomb of Lazarus Jesus said to Mary...
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
In Matthew 17:1-5 He transformed Himself to Peter, James and John
1 Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.
2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.
3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
His Glory was Seen in His Works
His Glory was Seen in His Works
When He taught the people they were astonished at His teaching
21 They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach.
22 They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
27 They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
When He cast out demons they were equally amazed
23 Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”
26 Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him.
27 They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
When He healed His healings were complete
40 And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
41 Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
And finally…
When He raised the dead they came to life
43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”
44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.
His glory was on display, seen in His deeds—all this…
His Glory Revealed Who He Was
His Glory Revealed Who He Was
He was and is God made man
Going back to John 1:1, He was “the Word [that] was with God” and “the Word [that] was God.”
CONCLUSION
Do you know this God-Man?
These 3 facts tell us who He is: the Word became flesh, the Word dwelt among us, we saw His glory
In other words, Jesus became flesh, born of a virgin, had all the characteristics of humanity minus sin
He dwelt among people in Israel
He was born among them
He grew up among them
He displayed His glory when He taught, when He healed, when He cast out demons, and when He raised the dead
There is no other conclusion
He is God who became man
There’s something else He is…Savior
Remember what I said about the incarnation?
Without it there is no atonement…there is no Savior…
Is He your savior from the wrath of God?
Is He your savior from sin?
Is He your savior from Satan?
Is He your savior from yourself?
Put your faith in Him today as the only way to heaven
Let’s pray
